


Fortuitous Revenge

by Shi_Toyu



Series: Providential Tidings [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Norse Religion & Lore, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Don't touch Clint's things, FrostIron - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, It's Hereditary, Laufey is a DILF, Laufey's A+ Parenting, Laufey's Good Parenting, Loki Does What He Wants, Loki Feels, Loki Needs a Hug, Loki is also a DILF, Loki's Kids, M/M, Odin's A+ Parenting, Possessive Clint, Protective Loki, Revenge, Serious Injuries, Suicide, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-03-01 07:42:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 53,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2765168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For Tony, it had started out as a way to get back at Clint for bringing his father up in front of Cap...he's not sure what made Loki agree to it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oh, No He Didn't

Loki snickered behind his hand, but it was one of actual amusement and not one that clearly meant you had fallen into his trap. Tony Stark could barely believe it. His day had begun with Clint purposely bringing up Howard in front of Steve just to piss Tony off and was apparently ending with a surprisingly pleasant dinner with a supervillain. Even with a life as odd as his, Tony hadn't seen this one coming.

Tony didn't even know what he'd done to piss the archer off in the first place. Okay, that was a lie. He knew exactly what he'd done.

_"Tony!"_

_The genius ducked behind his coffee mug as his teammate stormed into the communal kitchen. It wasn't that he thought the piece of ceramic would actually hide him, it was just his natural reaction. Still, he felt a little betrayed when Clint's angry glare settled on him._

_"What the Hell did you do to my bow?!"_

_Tony had never reacted well to accusations and that definitely sounded like an accusation. He could almost feel the classic Stark Snark rear its ugly head._

_"I fixed it, bird brain. Chill."_

_"It wasn't broken!"_

_"Psh, doesn't mean it doesn't need fixing. That thing could have been made by Hammer! Trust me, it's much better now."_

_Surprisingly, that didn't seem to reassure the archer at all._

_"That doesn't mean you can just take it without permission! That bow is important to me, Tony!"_

_And, okay, Tony could totally see his point there, but he was still a Stark. As his father had always told him, Starks didn't apologize._

_"Whatever, man. You'll be thanking me once you've tried it."_

_For a moment, Tony thought Clint might actually explode from anger. It didn't make him feel much better when the archer suddenly smiled instead. Without saying another word to the genius, he backed out of the door and left. Tony sipped his coffee suspiciously and didn't dare leave. It was almost ten minutes later that Clint re-entered the kitchen, talking animatedly with Cap._

_"No way! That's crazy!" He turned to Tony, beaming as though he hadn't been yelling at him just minutes before. "Tony! Did you know your dad flew Steve across enemy lines on his first mission as Captain America? Talk about awesome! Say, can you pilot a plane?"_

_It had been a low blow, one Clint knew was a sure-fire way to get under the genius's skin. Tony still felt a rush of anger just thinking back on it. He'd meant well, even if he'd gone about it the wrong way. There'd been no reason to bring his father into things. (And, just for the record, Tony Stark could fly a plane…if he wanted to…he'd just never done so before.)_

_Luckily Steve, Clint's unwitting accomplice, figured out what was going on pretty quickly and put a stop to it. Tony had fled immediately to hide in his lab. He hadn't intended to come out for at least 12 hours, but life had other plans. The call for the Avengers to assemble had come in less than two hours later, just after 10AM._

_Both Clint and Tony had been in sullen moods throughout the entire flight to Disney World where Loki was busy creating illusions of various villains from the classic movies and letting them run amuck. On any other day, Tony probably would have gotten a kick out of the whole thing and possibly even applauded Loki's efforts. As it was, he was too caught up in his anger to really care about anything else._

_Still, he'd chastised himself, Clint had a point about Tony needing to ask permission before taking people's things. He'd been doing a lot of growing up since becoming Iron Man. Maybe it was time to be an adult and let this go. He didn't have to apologize, just not hold the fact that Clint had brought up Howard against the archer._

_At the very least, it wasn't a decision he would have to make right away. Clint was a professional and the team was in the middle of a serious situation. There was no way Clint would let what had happened cause an even bigger problem in the middle of the fight…at least not for the first five minutes apparently._

_Tony spun through the air, doing a quick loop around an opponent before firing a repulsor into Captain Hook's back. The one-handed pirate disappeared in a cloud of smoke, much as it seemed any of them would do once hit. The issue didn't come from being hard to destroy, it was just that Loki kept making MORE of them._

_Steve's shield flew past to destroy Scar, who'd been leaping from on top of a building to attack Tony from behind. The inventor scooped it up and dropped it back off to its owner as he tackled the writhing mass of tentacles that was four individual Ursalas who had teamed up to cover each other's backs._

_"Thanks for the save, Capsicle."_

_Tony figured he owed the man some curtesy after how quickly he'd handled the situation that morning. He was almost feeling good about the situation before Clint's voice had cut across the coms._

_"Might want to check that shield, Cap. You never know what Stark might have done to it behind your back."_

_Tony had to grit his teeth to keep from making an angry retort. He took up repeating a mantra in his head of, 'You are an adult. You will not take his bait. You will let this go. You are an adult.' Maybe if he said it enough times, he'd actually feel like it was the truth._

_What had followed throughout the fight was a series of jabs by Clint over the open coms. He criticized everything from Tony's battle strategies to his interactions with the other Avengers. The archer ignored any attempts by Steve or the others to get him to knock it off, even Natasha. Still, Tony could have handled it, (he'd been called worse, after all) except Clint had once again turned to the one sore spot that Tony would never be able to ignore._

_"Jesus, Stark! This bow is a piece of shit! I can hardly use it!" That was a lie, the archer was shooting even more targets than he normally did, using Tony's added features with abandon. "No wonder you Dad thought you were a failure!"_

_Tony distantly heard Steve yell at Clint to go back to the helicarrier, that he wasn't going to be needed for the rest of this fight, that they'd be having a long talk when they got back to the Tower. It didn't register in Tony's brain, though. Clint's last sentence was just playing over and over again in his mind. Rage coursed through his veins, wiping out any thoughts of letting things go or being an adult. If Clint could aim for sore spots, so could Tony._

_He switched on his repulsers and rocketed towards the sky where Loki and Thor were battling it out, leaving his own opponents behind. He pulled up right next to the pair, not even taking a moment to consider the repercussions of what he was about to do. His com link was left open. After all, it just wouldn't do if the others couldn't hear what was about to happen._

_"Mind if I cut in?"_

_"Friend Tony, I do not wish for you to do something fooli-"_

_"Not to worry! I just want to ask Frosty here a question. I promise it won't take long."_

_Loki was looking at him with one eyebrow raised, seeming intrigued._

_"Ask it, then. Perhaps, if you are lucky, I will even give you an answer."_

_A grin split across Tony's face, he was enjoying this already._

_"Want to get dinner with me tonight? I know this great Italian place I think you'd love."_

_The coms suddenly burst into an uproar, but Tony wasn't done yet. Oh, no, Clint deserved so much worse than that._

_"My, Stark, are you asking me on a date?"_

_"You bet your supervillain ass I am. How does seven sound? I'll pick you up at your evil lair?"_

_Amusement lit up Loki's face and he waved a hand, casually dismissing all of the illusions below._

_"My apartment will suffice, I think. I will send you my address…once SHIELD is not listening in, of course."_

_And, okay, so Tony hadn't actually been expecting Loki to agree, but there was no way he was backing out after he did. He was Tony Stark, like Hell he was going to let someone call his bluff…even if he ended up dead._

_Loki disappeared after agreeing to go on the date, so the battle was technically over. In the interest of avoiding a lecture from Steve, and probably everyone else, Tony had decided to fly off on his own and lock himself in the lab before any of the others could reach the Tower. He put the labs on lockdown and told JARVIS to hold any calls that didn't come from an Unknown number…or Loki. He wasn't really sure how the God intended to contact him._

_At exactly four in the afternoon a ball of fire burst to life over Tony's desk, Tony himself toppling out of his chair with a shout of surprise. The simple note left in its place held an address and nothing else. Well, he hadn't known Loki could do that!_

_Tony stared up at the high rise before glancing down to check the address in his hand. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting Loki's apartment to look like, but it certainly wasn't this. This was clearly a place for people with money, and lots of it. In fact, Tony was pretty sure he owned a loft in Chicago that was in a pretty similar-looking building._

_The doorman opened the gold-plated door without hesitation, bobbing his head in Tony's direction to acknowledge him. As soon as the genius's foot hit the marble floor of the lobby, a man in a suit approached him with a smile._

_"Ah, Mr. Stark, what a pleasure to meet you. Mr. Smith informed us that you would be coming. I am Gustav, Head of Staff."_

_Tony smiled and chatted, letting the man lead him to the elevators and watching as he hit the button for the top floor. Loki lived in the penthouse, then, not bad. He supposed he shouldn't have expected any less from a prince. A voice in the back of Tony's head that sounded suspiciously like Natasha warned that this could still be a trap, but it just didn't seem like Loki's style._

_When the elevator reached the top floor, Gustav motioned for Tony to exit while making no move to do so himself. Apparently the elevator ran right into the apartment and only Gustav and Loki had the key to access it. The place was lavishly furnished, expensive furs thrown over the back of leather couches, vases that looked older that Tony's great-grandfather…It was all very Loki._

_As Tony was taking in the sights, the god in question appeared in the doorway of what Tony could only assume was a hallway that lead to the bedrooms. He was dressed impeccably in a long tailored suit with a green scarf. His hair was longer than it normally appeared and hung over one shoulder in a thick braid. Wire-rimmed glasses were perched on his nose and Tony couldn't help but smile._

_"Mr. Smith, I presume?"_

_A mischievous smirk crossed the other's face._

_"Please, call me Lyle."_

The memory of Loki's play on words still brought a smile to his face. He looked at his dining companion only to see that the god had one brow arched.

"It seems that I lost you there for a minute."

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"I take it you didn't hear my question, then?"

"Uh…no…Mind repeating it?"

Loki snorted a laugh.

"Is it true you once built a bomb out of rubber bands, Midguardian confections, and household cleaners?"

Now it was Tony's turn to snort…right into his wine glass. He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin before answering.

"You mean that time Hammer actually managed to kidnap me and demanded I make him weapons? He said he would bring me anything I needed, the idiot. I can't believe he really thought that would work."

"So you did build it, then?"

"Well, sure, had to get out of there somehow. I only used the rubber bands and the cleaners for the bomb, though. The Twinkies were to eat." He sent Loki a wink. "So, do you ever think about teaming up with Doom? There's been some talk of it around SHIELD, but I just don't see it happening."

"You'd be correct. The man is completely incapable of normal speech patterns, not to mention all of his plans leave holes in them the size of a Volstagg's stomach."

Tony didn't get the reference, but he laughed anyway. He knew what Loki meant.

"You're right about that. His plans never give us as much trouble as yours do."

"Resorting to flattery already, Stark? The main course hasn't even arrived yet."

"Not flattery. Fact." Tony leaned forward and looked Loki dead in the eye. "Your plans are perfectly designed to lead us right where you want us to go…well, almost perfectly, at least. We always seem to win out in the end."

Loki's smile was soft, and his gaze far away.

"Yes…you certainly seem to…"

"Anyway, you might want to try your hand as a consultant."

Loki's brows furrowed in confusion. Tony had to admit it was kinda cute.

"A consultant?"

"Yeah, like, other supervillains could hire you to plan their world domination plots or something…actually, never mind. Don't do that. That would make my life so much more difficult."

"Oh, Stark…I do believe that would be rather the point."

Their conversation continued as their food came and they settled in to eat. Loki had gotten some seafood dish Tony couldn't pronounce the name of and he'd gotten Rigatoni alla Vodka. The only part of that he'd understood was Vodka, but it was apparently a pasta and sausage dish with tomato sauce. It was also delicious.

They were halfway through dessert before Loki asked a question that nearly made Tony drop his fork. He closed his eyes for a moment to regain control of himself. He normally didn't react so poorly, it was just that he hadn't been expecting it. Loki immediately looked alarmed.

"My apologies. I shouldn't have asked."

Tony shook his head and set his utensil aside. One shaking hand rose to cover his chest where the Arc Reactor was. He'd worn a cover of it to conceal the light, but it still jutted out just a bit. His thumb traced the side in a stroking motion.

"No, no, it's alright. I just don't…talk about it much."

Loki inclined his head in acknowledgement, but didn't otherwise respond. His eyes followed the movement of Tony's hand.

"I, uh, I was captured by a group of terrorists a few years ago, back before Iron Man. Back then I sold weapons and, without my knowledge, they were also being sold to the enemy."

Good God, was he really talking about this? With Loki? He didn't even talk to Bruce about this.

"During the attack, a missile went off near me. It was one that I made and it sent a whole bunch of tiny metal pieces into my chest. Another prisoner there saved my life by hooking a car battery up to a magnet and sticking it in my chest."

Loki had completely abandoned his own dessert, focusing his entire attention on the man across from him. If Tony didn't know better, he might of thought there was actually concern in his eyes.

"They wanted me to build weapons for them. When I refused, they tortured me." There was a tightening around Loki's mouth, but Tony knew that if he stopped talking now he wouldn't be able to start again. "They held me under water until I nearly drowned and then repeated the process before I could even catch my breath."

"But they did not kill you."

Loki's voice was soft, almost gentle, and Tony felt the corner of his mouth twitch upwards just a bit.

"No, they didn't. Eventually I agreed to build them the missile they wanted. Instead I built the miniaturized arc reactor and my first suit."

"And you escaped."

"Yeah…Yinsen, the man who was there with me, who saved my life, didn't make it. He didn't follow the plan!"

Tony knew he was getting mad, but he couldn't help it. Why couldn't Yinsen have just waited? He could have gotten them both out of there! He knew he could have!

A cool hand reached across the table to rub soothing circles in the back of Tony's clenched fist. The genius blinked down at it in surprise before realizing Loki was comforting him. Then he blinked again from a whole new round of surprise.

"I pulled a prank for Thor almost four centuries ago. He was betrothed at the time to Lady Sif, a warrior woman of great status and skill. She was a friend of his and he had no desire to marry her. He asked me to help him…I turned her golden hair black as night and spread a rumor that she had been cursed by creatures of Helheim, making her a half-demon. Any man she lay with would fall under a spell that would bind them to her will."

The thumb on the back of Tony's hand continued to rub circles, but Loki's gaze was a thousand miles away.

"The All-Father, of course, figured out my trick, but it was too late. The fear had taken root in the hearts of the Aesir. They would no longer stand for Thor and Sif to be married, even when told the truth. Thor would not speak in my defense, too afraid of Odin's punishments."

Loki's voice turned bitter and, without thinking, Tony turned their hands so that it was now he rubbing soothing circles on Loki's. The god took a shuddered breath before continuing.

"My own children chose to speak in my defense, though I did not know of their plans until it was too late. If they had not associated themselves, perhaps…" He couldn't seem to find the words to continue. When he spoke again, it was with the start of a new sentence. "Odin decreed that my punishment would be the loss of my children. He banished them to the distant Realms, forbidding me from seeking them out. Now, though I am no longer under his thumb, I do not have the tools at my disposal with which to find them…"

Tony hadn't even known Loki had kids, but the shock of that didn't even scratch the surface of his mind. The pain on the god's face was so sharp, he knew Loki still felt the pain of his loss every single moment. In an instant, the genius was out of his chair and wrapping his arms around him. After stiffening initially, Loki relaxed into the hold. After a few moments of silence, Loki spoke again in much more controlled tones.

"I don't talk about that much, either."

"Well," Tony said, forcing a grin, "I think it's safe to say that both those stories sucked. I usually try and save the heavy stuff for the third date, at least."

After that, the mood had lightened a bit. Neither of them had the appetite to finish their desserts, but Tony figured he probably shouldn't be eating the calories anyway. (Between Pepper, Steve, and Bruce, hardly a day went by without a talk about how he needed to eat healthier.) Tony paid when the bill came, he was, after all, a gentleman, and they made it back to Loki's apartment without incident.

As he pulled up outside the high rise, Tony found himself fidgeting in his seat. For the first time in a long time that didn't involve a supervillain attack or a mountain of paperwork, Tony felt nervous. Loki, clearly noticing his behavior, smirked knowingly.

"Yes, Anthony? Something you wish to say?"

"Oh, it's Anthony now?"

"Well, we seem to have gotten familiar enough with each other for the change. Now, do not attempt to distract me."

Tony couldn't help grinning.

"I was just hoping, you know, that maybe we could do this again sometime."

Loki's smirk morphed into a smile and it was amazing how much it changed his face.

"I think I'd like that."

And then Loki leaned across the center console of Tony's car to press a quick kiss to his cheek. Before the genius could react, Loki was out of the car. His smirk was back in place.

"Do give Hawkeye my warmest regards, wouldn't you?"

Tony wore a matching smirk.

"Oh, believe me, it will be my pleasure."


	2. Chapter 2

Tony awoke to JARVIS's usual spiel about the weather and pertinent news highlights. He groaned and rolled over, pressing his face further into his pillows, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. It wasn't often that Tony kept decent hours, so he felt he should be allowed to languish a little. Even on the nights he made it into bed before 4 AM he was back up by 8 or 9. He just wasn't much of a sleeper.

Last night he'd even managed to be in bed by midnight, meaning that he had a full eight hours under his belt by now. It hadn't been the first time Tony had snuck back into his own tower, but he really hadn't felt like dealing with the others at the time. He'd still been on cloud nine over his unexpectedly good date with Loki.

Thinking of the Avengers made Tony groan again before pushing himself up and scooting out of bed. No doubt they were driving themselves crazy by this point and he would have to face them eventually. He pulled on a pair of old sweatpants before padding out of his room barefoot and shirtless. Might as well go ahead and get this over with.

The communal Avengers kitchen was only two floors below his penthouse, but Tony still took the elevator. Forget stairs this early in the morning. As the elevator doors slid open, he was confronted by an absolute flurry of activity.

All of the Avengers were present, dressed in full uniform, along with several SHIELD agents. Tony recognized Coulson and Sitwell, but not the other one. It irked him to have someone he didn't know in his tower, but it looked like there was bigger fish to fry at the moment. Coulson was giving orders over the phone while the group poured over a number of documents spread across the table. Tony made a beeline for the coffee maker.

"So, uh, did I miss something?"

"Tony!"

The genius nearly sloshed hot coffee all over the counter as he found himself suddenly being hugged by none other than Bruce Banner. Since Bruce wasn't usually a very touchy person, Tony felt it was reasonable that his brain sort of short circuited. He stared at the other scientist dumbly, half-full coffee pot in one hand and the other paused in the process of reaching for a mug. Luckily, Bruce didn't seem to mind much as he pulled back to give Tony a once-over.

"You're alright, then? Any injuries?"

"Uh, no. Why would I be injured?"

Coulson peered over Bruce's shoulder, giving Tony an eye examination of his own.

"This is the first anyone has seen you since the fight yesterday and you were scheduled to meet with Loki last night."

"We checked with JARVIS." Natasha chimed in. "You weren't here."

Tony shrugged nonchalantly and went back to pouring himself coffee.

"Of course not. I had a date."

When he looked up, it was to meet a room full of incredulous stares and an undercurrent of anger. Most of the anger seemed to be coming from Clint, unsurprisingly.

"You mean you actually went?!"

"It'd be kind of rude not to, don't you think? I mean, I did ask him out and I'm not in the habit of standing up my dates."

That response didn't seem to improve Clint's mood.

"What?! This isn't some joke, Stark! This is serious!"

Coulson waved a hand, silencing the archer. Clint still glared in Tony's direction, but at least he wasn't shouting anymore. That was a plus. The genius wasn't so sure he liked the look in Coulson's eye, though.

"So you know where he has been staying."

"Well, I did have to pick him up."

Tony took a sip from his mug and grimaced at the taste. Who had brewed this crap? It tasted more like water than actual coffee. He turned to dump the remains of the cup in the sink, the rest of the pot soon following. He pulled the coffee maker towards him.

"Well?"

"Well, what? Oh, God! Did you guys brew this twice with the same grounds? No wonder it tasted so awful!"

He grabbed the over-used filter and threw it in trash, not even bothering to look up. He grabbed a new one and slipped it into place, immediately reaching for the bag of coffee beans and the grinder. Natasha appeared at his elbow to snatch the beans from his grasp. Her eyes were narrowed in a glare.

"Aren't you going to tell us where it is?"

Tony gave her his best confused look, one he'd worn for the press on many occasions, and snatched the bag back. He poured the beans into the grinder.

"Why would I do that?"

Before she had the chance to answer he pushed the button on the grinder, filling the kitchen with a loud whirling that would drown out any conversation. He knew he was pushing it, but it was just so rare to have something he could use to get under Natasha's skin. When the grinding stopped it was Thor who spoke, surprisingly enough.

"Friend Stark, you should tell us where my brother has been hiding. I do not know why you escaped your encounter with him last night unscathed, but I am sure it was just a way for him to stave off his boredom. Protecting him will gain you no favors."

Tony felt a rush on anger at the God of Thunder's words. Loki's tale about his children was still fresh in his mind and he couldn't bring himself to see his comrade quite the same way anymore. Maybe that had been Loki's plan all along but, if it was, it was working.

"I think he's had quite enough of people betraying his trust." He said with a glare before turning back to dump the ground coffee into the filter and pressing the button to start it percolating. "Besides, Loki being in SHIELD custody would really put a damper on our next date."

"You're going out with him again?!" Tony rolled his eyes at the return on Clint's shouting. "Once wasn't enough to satisfy your ridiculous ego? If you're trying to punish me for yesterday morning then congratulations! We get it! You're Tony Stark and you do what you want!"

Tony snorted.

"You really think this is about my ego? Wow, birdbrain. You have an even lower opinion of me that I thought. This may have started out as a way to get back at you, but that ended about five minutes after picking him up." He felt a bit of a smile tug at his lips, pulling the corners upwards. "Loki's just…not that bad once you get to know him a little."

"Are you even listening to yourself?"

This time it was Steve's hand on his shoulder that stopped Clint's tirade.

"Tony, we're just worried about you. Loki's dangerous and he has a history of messing with people's minds."

A glance at the coffee maker showed it wasn't nearly as far along as Tony wanted it to be. If he was going to have this conversation, he at least wanted coffee for it. He heaved a sigh and leaned one hip on the counter, fishing in the pocket of his sweatpants for his phone.

"Look, I get it. Loki tried to take over Earth, but when was the last time he actually hurt anybody? Not since the first invasion, right?"

There were frowns all around the room and the SHIELD agent Tony didn't recognize piped up.

"He tries a new way to take over the world practically every week."

Tony shot the man a glare.

"Look…you. Loki does something ridiculous practically every week, but is there a single one of us who actually thinks any of these plans sounds like they're going to work? I mean, come on. Disney villains over running a theme park? Not exactly the most dastardly plan if you ask me. And besides, nobody has gotten hurt by Loki in ages!"

Bruce and Coulson, at least, were looking thoughtful. Cap's scowl, though, was only getting deeper.

"He broke Doom's arm not two months ago, Tony. And have you forgotten what he did to Skurge the last time he and Amora showed up?"

Tony grinned in triumph as he succeeded in finding his phone and pulled it from his pocket before turning back to the Captain.

"Yeah, okay. You have a point. But when was the last time he hurt someone who was innocent? And injuries inflicted by falling objects don't count. It's hardly under his control if Hulk throws him into a building."

There was no immediate uproar from the room, which Tony took to be a good sign. He gave them all a bit of an encouraging smile.

"I'm not saying he's a saint and I'm certainly not saying we should just disregard him as a threat. I just think it's something to look into."

Silence reigned in the room and, instead of having to look at them and face their judgment, Tony tapped away at his phone. He pulled up a new message window.

_'The team's being as annoying as expected. You are so lucky you don't have roommates.'_

He glanced up from sending the message to spot Coulson leaving the room, his own phone pressed to his ear. He paused in issuing orders to wave the other two SHIELD agents after him. Either he was actually taking Tony seriously or he was moving them out of the way for a strike team to come take Tony down. At this point, either option was viable. Luckily, the coffee was finally brewed, so the genius had more important things to think about.

"Tony."

He glance up from pouring his mug to meet Steve's imploring gaze.

"Are you seriously considering this?"

"Look, all I know is that actually having a civil conversation with that guy changed a lot about the way I see him. Could he be playing me? Sure, but I don't think so. At the very least, not the whole time."

Natasha was watching him closely, giving him that analytical look she often gave prisoners they were interrogating. He at least knew her well enough to know it wasn't personal. She was just trying to figure out the truth of the situation.

"What do you mean? What makes you so sure?"

He sipped his coffee, much better than the last batch, and thought about her question. What was it that made him so sure? His phone buzzed in his hand to signify an incoming message.

_'Have they accused you of being mind controlled yet? If not, they are dumber than I had thought.'_

His lips twitched in a smile.

"It's just…He's different. His whole demeanor changed. And some of the things he talked about…he wouldn't have done that for an act."

_'Not in so many words. It has come up, though.'_

Thor was frowning at him deeply when he looked up from his phone again.

"What did my brother speak of that has you so convinced?"

Tony still wasn't feeling too happy with the big blonde and couldn't resist the urge to throw something out there he knew would hurt. (Which was really rather stupid of him, considering that's how this whole thing started. But whatever. Clint was right, he did what he wanted.)

"His kids."

If nothing else, Thor's dumbfounded expression made the whole interrogation routine worth it. Tony would have drank the entire pot of twice brewed coffee just to see that look on his face.

"My brother never talks about his children…"

Thor's voice sounded so lost that Tony almost felt sorry for him, but not quite. His phone buzzed again.

"Maybe that's because their grandfather banished them and their uncle abandoned them to their fate. Seems like family's a pretty touchy subject for him and I honestly can't blame him."

_'Thank goodness for that, at least. Do you require assistance?'_

Maybe that was a little harsh, but no one could say Thor didn't deserve it at least a little. Tony seriously doubted Loki would have talked to him about what he'd done and, from what he'd heard, it wasn't like anyone else on Asgard would have cared enough to. A wake up call was long overdue.

"What are you saying, Stark?"

Clint's tone wasn't as accusatory as it could have been, which Tony took as a good sign. He'd always had a soft spot for kids.

"I just think that maybe he has reasons for what he's done. If we could understand them, maybe…I don't know."

"Maybe you can bring Loki over to the light side of the Force?"

Bruce looked dubious, but Tony grinned at his reference.

"Oh, Brucie-bear, I knew there was a reason you were my favorite. But Loki's more Han Solo than Darth Vader. He's misguided, not evil. I mean, Vader wasn't really evil in the end, but you get what I mean."

To cover his rambling, he turned back to his phone again.

_'I'd rather not have to go on the run. Being a fugitive is so inconvenient. But I wouldn't mind a little company if you wanted to hang out.'_

He didn't realize how stupid that sounded until after he sent the message. Him and Loki. Hanging out. Right. He'd be lucky if he heard from Loki again after that. He sighed heavily. What was he, a teenage girl?

A strong hand landing on his shoulder startled Tony from his thoughts. Steve was looking down at him with a hint of a smile on his face.

"We trust you, Tony. This may be…a little odd, but if you think all Loki needs is someone to be there for him, then I think it's worth a shot. I know the difference that just having a friend can make in someone's life. And if Loki needs someone to count on, he couldn't find someone better."

Tony's jaw dropped as he stared at the Captain. If he'd predicted an outcome for this little talk, it certainly wouldn't have been with Captain America giving him a glowing recommendation for his friendship. It wasn't quite as good as having his Dad say he was proud, but it still brought a warmth to his chest. Not that he was going to let Steve know that.

Luckily, he was saved from having to answer by the elevator dinging to announce a new arrival. With sleep-mussed hair and wearing nothing but pajama bottoms and one of Tony's band shirts, Loki shuffled into their midst. He didn't even glance at the assembled team on his way to snag Tony's mug of coffee and take a long sip. He made a face before setting it aside on the counter.

"That's atrocious."

"Oh, my God! You slept with him?! Here?!"

A wicked grin stretched across Loki's face as he spun to look at the archer.

"Ah, Agent Barton…Such a pleasure to see you again. Doing well, I hope?"

Clint went so red Tony thought he might explode. He figured it might be a good moment for a subject change.

"So, uh, not a big coffee person I take it?"

Loki wrinkled his nose.

"Decidedly not. Now," he addressed the team as a whole, "I would like to clarify that I have not taken over Anthony's mind, nor do I plan to. This is not a piece of some elaborate plot I have to rule your pathetic realm. Any further questions may be put forth at a later time." His gaze slid to the side to meet Tony's with a mischievous gleam. "It would seem I have plans for the day."

Tony couldn't hold back the grin that split his face, but it was quickly wiped off as Loki wrapped an arm around his waist and threw him over one shoulder. And, okay, that was way hotter than it should be.

"Woah, woah! Hey! Put me down! You can't just manhandle me in my own house!"

Loki ignored his yelling as the god grabbed the handles of Tony's mug and the pot of coffee in one hand before turning back towards the elevator.

"I'm bringing the coffee."

"…Proceed."

Tony managed to keep up his bored expression as Loki carted him past the dumbfounded expressions of his teammates and into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, though, he was roaring with laughter. Loki let him slide gently off the god's shoulder and back onto his feet, chuckling right along with him.

"Oh, man! Did you see their faces?! You, my friend, are an utter genius."

Loki smirked at him while raising an imperious eye brow.

"Oh, am I just a friend now, Anthony? And here I thought we had something special."

He placed a hand to his chest and gave Tony the fakest expression of hurt the billionaire had ever seen. This set off a whole new round of laughter and he'd barely gotten himself under control by the time the doors slid open to reveal his penthouse. He grinned at Loki as they proceeded inside.

"Seriously, though, how'd you get here?"

The god just shrugged.

"Teleportation has its usefulness. You mentioned wanting to hang out?"

"Yeah, I was thinking movie marathon. Do you like pizza?"

"I can't say I've ever had it."

"What? No. Not acceptable. JARVIS, order us up a variety. Ray's Original, not the Original Ray's crap."

"Of course, sir. Would you like me to get a movie going?"

Tony scratched his chin in thought before looking slyly at his companion.

"Yeah…You know what, put on Star Wars. Episode IV. Come on, Lokes. It's about time you learned the ways of the Jedi."

Loki huffed his amusement but followed him to the couch. As they flopped down beside each other and the opening credits began, Tony couldn't help but think that things had turned out pretty well. Maybe Cap was right. Maybe he could be just the person Loki needed. At the very least, he was going to try.


	3. Going On an Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Loki watch some movies, talk a bit, and Tony makes questionable life decisions. So, really, nothing new.

Somehow, Tony had wound up draped across Loki's lap. They'd started off their movie marathon side by side, but Tony was never very good at staying still and they weren't even half-way through Episode IV before he'd started migrating into odder and odder positions. By the time Luke was attempting to take down the Deathstar in his X-Wing, Tony's chest was pressed into Loki's thighs and the god was tracing lazy patterns across his back.

It was a testament to how many times Tony had seen this particular movie that he knew exactly what was going on even with his eyes closed. It was just that Loki's fingers along his spine were so relaxing. The genius had never been much one for prolonged contact with others, but there was something about the lackadaisical motions that lulled him into a state of peace.

"Anthony."

Loki's cool voice came from what seemed like a great distance and the inventor couldn't seem to build up the energy to respond. When his name was repeated, he merely wrinkled his nose as answer. The touch along his back vanished, instead replaced by an irritating poking to the side of his face. He cracked one eye open laboriously and rolled his head to glare balefully up at the God.

"Whaddyou want?"

Loki smirked at his slurred voice, smug amusement dancing across his face.

"You were falling asleep."

"Yeah? So?"

He rolled over, not leaving Loki's lap as he rubbed tiredly at his eyes. It was apparently going to be one of those days when all his lack-of-sleep started catching up with him. He blamed Loki and those damned, talented hands of his.

"It is nearly the end of the movie. You must choose the next one."

Apparently he wasn't going to complain about Tony using his lap as his own, personal pillow. Good. Tony wasn't planning on moving anyway.

"You pick."

"Very well. I choose Episode I."

Tony rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. He'd had this same problem with Steve the first time he'd shown the Super Soldier Star Wars.

"Look, just because it's Episode I doesn't mean you have to watch it first. The series is designed so that you-"

"Peace, Anthony." The god cut him off. "I am familiar with the series and how it works. I simply like Episode I the best."

Suddenly Tony was wide awake, giving Loki a look that could only be described as half shock and half glare.

"Oh, my God…You really are a supervillain…"

Loki looked decidedly unimpressed.

"Do not presume to judge me, mortal."

"The Hell I won't! You like Episode I the best out of the entire Star Wars series! What is wrong with you?"

The god just shrugged, the motion seeming strange coming from him. The odd thought that prince's shouldn't shrug crossed Tony's mind.

"The actor who portrays the young Obi Wan is decidedly attractive."

That had Tony laughing all over again, something Loki had him doing surprisingly often. What did it say about him that his sense of humor aligned best with a would-be conqueror of the world?

"Alright, alright. I'll give you that…but I'm still not watching that damn movie. Pick something else."

Loki appeared to think about it, his hand drifting to trace aimless patterns on Tony's abdomen now that his back was out of reach. He was at least conscious enough not to get close to the arc reactor. The genius wasn't sure how he would have reacted to that.

"Have you The Lord of the Rings?"

"Tolkien? Seriously? Could you have worse taste in movies?"

Loki frowned at him.

"What is wrong with Tolkien? I thought his works popular amongst your people."

"Well, yeah. I just don't like them. I mean, jeez, how many words do you need to describe something? I don't need to know the history of every single tree and rock they walk past! Don't get me wrong, the movies aren't that bad. It's just that every time I watch them I'm reminded of the books."

Loki arched an elegant brow.

"History is important, Anthony. Every piece of it plays a part in what present holds. Without it, there can be no future."

Tony just rolled his eyes.

"Well, aren't you just feeling philosophical today?"

Loki pinched him, but he was quick to rub the area soothingly right after.

"Very well. If you do not approve of my choice in movie, then I suggest you choose the next one. Be warned, though, that I am not a fan of pointless action and explosions."

Tony let his eyes fall shut again, shifting a bit to get more comfortable. He was kind of surprised they'd managed to go this long without an interruption from at least one of the Avengers. That was probably Cap's doing, what with his belief in the power of friendship and what not. He certainly did seem to be proving his worth quite a bit lately.

"Nah, it's cool. Jarv, load up the first Lord of the Rings movie, extended edition. I'm gonna end up falling asleep by the time we get to Bilbo's party anyway."

The A.I. obligingly did as he was told, skipping over previews and the start menu to dive straight into the film. Both Tony and Loki stayed silent as the movie began, Tony because he was quickly falling asleep and Loki for…whatever reason that Tony didn't know, probably because he was actually watching the movie.

The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist slipped into a state of being half awake and half asleep. He was somewhat aware of what was going on around him, but his dreams still ruled his perception. At some point he had moved closer to the god, his face pressing in to the other's abdomen. Loki had shifted to running his fingers through Tony's hair and the man wanted nothing more than to melt into a pile of goo on the couch. Shouldn't he have survival instincts about this sort of thing?

Well, if he did (Pepper would probably firmly insist that he didn't) then he was going to ignore them completely. Loki's fingers felt nice in his hair and Lord of the Rings was actually kind of pleasant to fall asleep to. Besides, naps were always the best. He should take more of those, especially couch naps. Those were awesome.

He dimly registered the sounds of Sean Bean dying yet another tragic death in the background as his thoughts drifted back to the god basically petting him. How long had it been since Loki was able to interact with another person so casually? Somehow, Tony didn't think he had a lot of friends to hang out with here on Earth. Granted, that was probably more Loki's choice than anything else, but still.

There was always a reason, with people like himself and Loki, that they didn't hang out with others. Tony had been lucky, he'd had Pepper and Rhodey and Happy around during the whole incident with Stane. They were probably the only reasons he even had the ability to trust another person anymore. And the team helped too, whatever difficulties they encountered. Tony wasn't as close to them as he was to his other three best friends, but he knew he could trust them. For Tony, that meant a lot.

He doubted Loki really trusted anyone. His father and brother had betrayed or abandoned him over and over again. He'd discovered that his entire life was a lie and his birth family had apparently left him to die in a frozen wasteland. His trust issues probably had trust issues.

It was a hard way to live, that much was for sure. Tony knew what it was like to always sleep with one eye open, and it was exhausting. Maybe the Aesir, or Jotuns, weren't human, but they were still social creatures, Tony was pretty sure. They needed contact with other beings just like anyone else. Maybe that was why Loki was so receptive of Tony's attention; it'd been so long that he was deprived.

Without being gooey or feelings-oriented or any of that crap, Tony had to admit that he felt bad for the guy. They'd only been hanging out for a short time, but it was clear Loki had a hard life. He'd had centuries of betrayal under his belt, most of which made Tony's own experiences pale in comparison. It seemed logical that the guy would be a little off his rocker after that.

His mind turned back to what Loki had said the night before, about his kids. Who was their mother? How many did he have? What were they like? Tony could vaguely remember some mention of Loki having kids in the ancient Norse legends, but he'd never been interested enough to pay attention. He hadn't actually looked at any of them since he was a kid, something he should probably get around to doing again.

He shifted his head just a bit to peak up at Loki's face, the god either ignoring him or oblivious to his gaze. A faint light from the television flickered across his face as the movie played out. His expression was impassive, maybe even a bit content, but it didn't give much away. Tony imagined the look on his face the night before, when he'd spoken of his children being cast out.

His pain was real, that much Tony was completely sure of. He missed his kids. Tony didn't have any kids of his own, obviously, and Howard hadn't been the best of parents, but the genius was pretty damn positive that having your kids taken from you was like having a part of your own body removed. Loki probably never made it through a day without thinking about them. It kind of made Tony wonder how he did it, how he smiled and laughed like he had earlier that morning. The genius had to admire that kind of strength.

Tony reached up to pat the side of Loki's face in order to get his attention. The motion was made a tad bit awkward given their positions, but Tony made it work. On screen, the Fellowship was walking somewhere. (Tony assumed, he didn't actually check but he figured it was still a safe bet.) Loki turned his gaze to the inventor in his lap, hand leaving the brunette hair he'd still been stroking.

"Hey," Tony said, grinning.

Loki looked unimpressed and it was starting to get discouraging how often that was his reaction to whatever Tony said. Tony impressed everyone, dammit, even prissy, alien gods who tried to pretend otherwise.

"Hello."

At least he was playing along, that was positive, right?

"So, I had an idea."

"Is that uncommon for you? I suppose I have been over-estimating your mortal brain."

Tony snorted, seeing the comment as the friendly teasing it was and not true mockery.

"Shut up. I was thinking, we should go on an adventure."

Loki looked skeptical, so Tony plowed onwards, sitting up and twisting around so he could get a better look at the god. He hoped his hair wasn't a mess. That was never good when you were trying to convince someone to trust you.

"I'm serious. It'll be like Frodo taking the ring to Mordor except less stupid and also less impactful on the fate of the world."

"I'm not sure I know where you're going with this."

"We," Tony gestured back and forth between them, knowing from many board meetings that visual aids could be very helpful, "as in the two of us, should go out. Take some names. Kick some ass. Maybe pick up some new companions to join our rag-tag group." His eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers and a brilliant thought occurred to him. "We could bring Clint! He can be our Legolas!"

"Oh, yes, I'm sure he would absolutely jump at the opportunity."

Loki's tone said he was obviously just humoring Tony, and the genius did not appreciate it. This was serious, dammit. He was pretty sure Loki would be rolling his eyes if he'd been born on Earth. Tony frowned at him. (Definitely not pouting, for the record. Tony Stark did not pout, no matter what Pepper or Rhodey said. They were dirty, dirty liars and no one should listen to them.) A few moments of silence passed before Loki sighed.

"What kind of adventure did you have in mind?"

The grin that split Tony's face almost hurt, but he schooled it back into a serious expression. He didn't want this to come off as a joke, because it really wasn't. It was a big deal, and despite only just thinking of it, Tony knew it was exactly the right thing. If this was a trick, if Loki was playing him, then so be it because Tony was about to fall right into his trap.

"Loki…I want to help you find your kids."

The god just stared at him with an expression Tony had only ever seen before on Natasha. It wasn't shocked, not like a normal person, but it was like his entire face had frozen, poker mask nailed in place over inner turmoil. Tony bit his lip, hoping he didn't just over step a bound and offend the god. As ever when a situation started becoming awkward, the genius took it as his cue to start rambling.

"I mean, if you want me to, of course. I don't want to push my help on you or anything. It's just that last night you said that you didn't have the resources to find them and, well, you know, I've got a Hell of a lot of resources. I don't even know anything about your kids so maybe I'm not actually the best person to help you, but I figured it couldn't hurt, right? And I know the team would jump on the chance, especially Cap. He'd be thrilled to be able to help, what with his moral righteousness and everything. And Clint loves kids, even if he has a problem with you he wouldn't let that get in the way and he's really good at finding people. I mean he found Natasha back when she worked for the KGB and that was supposed to be next to impossible and he was supposed to be killed but she was only a kid herself at the time so he disobeyed orders and brought her back to S.H.I.E.L.D. and that's kinda my whole point, that he likes kids. And-"

"Anthony."

Loki's voice sounded a bit strange, tense. His expression was tight, not letting anything through, but his eyes remained expressive. Emotion roiled behind them, pain and hope and wariness all at the same time. His hands were clasped together in his lap, the image at odds with the fact that he still wore sleep pants and one of Tony's band tees.

"Yeah?"

"To go after my children would be an extremely dangerous endeavor. I cannot ask that of you."

Tony just grinned and leaned over to bump his shoulders with the god.

"Duh, that's why I offered. Besides, what are friends for if not to help you get your kids back after your douche of a father banished them?"

Loki snorted a laugh, his head falling forward so that his hair fell in a curtain around his face. Tony was tactful enough not to say anything and give him a moment to process. On the screen, Frodo was talking to Gandalf in the dwarf city. He kept his eyes on the screen in order to offer Loki some privacy. He hated it when other's caught him in an emotional time. Finally, Loki drew a deep breath and lifted his head, catching Tony's gaze once more.

"Your assistance in these matters would be appreciated. I would owe you a great debt."

Tony shook his head.

"I didn't offer it so you'd owe me, Loki."

The god bobbed his head in understanding.

"I know. But I would owe it none the less."

Tony didn't think he'd be able to stand it if any more emotions started to fly around the room so he pasted a wry grin across his face and clapped his hands eagerly.

"Well, we can discuss that once we've actually managed to get your kids back. Let's get started, shall we? Jarv, pull up that map of the Nine Realms I've been working on with Point Break. I also want you to alert the team, put out a request for anyone who's interested but make sure they know it's an optional thing." He glanced at Loki. "If that's alright with you. Extra hands could come in handy, but I get it if you don't want them involved."

Loki seemed to think this over for a bit, and Tony let him. He wasn't sure he'd be too crazy about having a team of his very recent enemies learning about the most painful time of his life. If Von Doom came to him and said he'd like to help Tony find and take down the Ten Rings…well, all Tony would smell was a trap. But he and Loki had a kind of rapport, he liked to think, and maybe that would be enough to offset the balance. He'd help Loki on his own if he needed to; it wasn't that much of a problem, but a little extra help certainly wouldn't go amiss.

"The assistance of your teammates would also be appreciated." Loki gave in, "However, my debt shall be to you and you alone."

Tony shrugged and nodded. That seemed reasonable, even though he really wished Loki would stop bringing up this debt thing because he really wasn't doing this so the god would owe him and the thought of it kind of made him uncomfortable.

"Sure thing, Frosted Flakes. You heard the man, Jarvis. Get a move on."

"At once, Sir. Notices have already been sent to the other Avengers, each tweaked slightly to appeal to their individual tastes. Would you like me to contact Dr. Foster for her expertise in the area?"

Pride bubbled up in Tony's chest as his baby went to work. If he did have children, he imagined it would feel something like this.

"Good thinking, buddy. Do it, but I don't want to give her the exact reasoning for her involvement just yet. Let's keep our guest's business as much his own as we can."

Loki shot him a grateful look, and Tony couldn't help but grin. Whatever the media thought, he really could act like a decent human being every once in a while. He wasn't about to go spreading what Loki had told him around to just anybody. Granted, Thor was probably going to tell her anyway, but that put blondie on Loki's shit list and not Tony. So it was still a win.

"Certainly, Sir. Shall I create a new file?"

"Yeah. Secure server, my personal one should do, but bury it deep. I want this as far out of S.H.I.E.L.D. hands as possible. There's nothing we can do about Nat and Clint, but I don't think they'll go spilling any secrets right off the bat. If they can't deal with keeping it from S.H.I.E.L.D. after that then they can fuck off."

Tony wasn't about to go through all this trouble of befriending Loki and trying to get his kids back just for some self-important government agency to swoop in and mess it all up. S.H.I.E.L.D. was always a bit too nosy for their own good, but they needed to stay out of this one and Tony knew Fury would just jump at the chance to get his hands on something he could use against the god.

"What would you like me to title the document, Sir?"

Tony thought for a moment, neither 'Fury's a Dick' nor 'Fuck the All-Father' seemed very mature despite being his first two choices. Besides, he was pretty sure he was already using the one about Fury as the communal Avengers grocery list.

Loki leaned forward, eyes cast up at the ceiling before flickering back down to Tony. A small smirk adorned his face.

"If I may make a suggestion…?"

Tony motioned for him to proceed.

"How about…Project FrostIron."


	4. A Meeting of the Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve calls a team meeting and Loki shows just how serious he is about getting his children back...and keeping them safe.

"Alright, so, uh, team meeting. Woo! Yay!"

The only reaction Tony garnered from that was Natasha's raised eyebrow. The Avengers team, plus Loki who had magically changed back into his usual leather outfit sans cape and helmet, was gathered around the table in the common area. Almost as soon as JARVIS had sent out the requests for their help, Steve had called for them to all gather. Unfortunately, no one had yet bothered to break the awkward silence that had drenched the room, leaving the task of doing so to fall upon Tony's shoulders. Steve sighed in a put upon fashion that he somehow also managed to make sound affectionate.

"Tony…I think we just need a little bit more information about what's going on here. Yesterday Loki was terrorizing theme parks and today you're asking us to help him find his kids? It just seems a bit…sudden."

Leave it to Captain America to find the most diplomatic way to voice their suspicions. Tony had to hold back the urge to sigh and roll his eyes. He understood their position, truly, but that didn't mean he wanted to deal with it. And Clint glaring daggers at Loki from across the table wasn't helping matters at all.

"Loki's kids were taken from him, quite wrongly, I might add. I aim to help him reunite with them. You guys don't have to help if you don't want to, but I am doing this."

"Friend Stark," Thor spoke in a deep rumble, frowning and gazing more at the wall behind Tony's head than actually at him, "I have considered carefully your words from this morning, about the events which led to my brother's punishment and my part is allowing it to happen." His gaze switched over to Loki and his words were no longer directed at the billionaire. "I see now how wrong I was, what a coward my actions proved me to be. I feared the All Father's wrath and hid from it, allowing you to take the blame for something I had asked you to do."

There was a long pause, but Loki did not interject anything into it. He watched Thor with a carefully constructed mask of neutrality, betraying nothing. His arms were crossed over his chest, though, and he was closed off in every sense of the word.

"Were it not for me, your children would not have become the target of the All Father's punishment. I was a fool, and a selfish one. I can never apologize enough for the pain I caused you. You may trust that I will help in this quest in any way that I can."

Loki remained impassive, but gave a stiff nod to indicate his acceptance of Thor's offer. Tony couldn't resist nudging his shoulder with one hip from where he stood beside the god and flashing him a smile. He, for one, thought it was great that Thor was paying more attention to his actions and wanting to make up for some of the pain he had caused. At the very least, it was a step in the right direction.

Natasha leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and folding her hands together demurely on its surface. Even seated, she managed to give off the impression of a looming presence. Tony would have to get her to teach him that trick for the next time Pepper actually managed to drag him to a board meeting.

"I think it might be easier for us to come to our own conclusions if we were to understand a bit more about the situation. You can perhaps realize our hesitation to sign up for something without knowing the particulars."

Tony shot her his brightest smile, if for no other reason than to be a smart ass. He shot a questioning glace at Loki out of the corner of his eye, though, seeking permission before giving away information. Loki sighed in response and unfolded his arms, sitting forward to address the team himself.

"Some time ago, before any of you would have yet been born, Thor requested of me a favor to fix a situation he had been forced into. The All Father was displeased with my methods upon discovering them. When my children spoke in my defense, Odin decided that their banishment would be suitable enough punishment for what he perceived as my misdeeds."

"What kind of situation, exactly?" Natasha pressed pointedly. It was obvious she wasn't going to let this one go.

"I was betrothed," Thor spoke before Loki had the chance to, earning himself a glare, "but my heart was not in it. I begged of my brother to relieve me of the burden."

Clint only continued to glare as he threw in his acidic two cents.

"Let me guess. You killed her? Nearly started a war?"

Loki snorted, pulling up a façade of amusement to hide the irritation Tony knew he must have felt. Tony wasn't doing nearly such a good job at hiding his own reaction to Clint's accusation.

"Hardly. I dyed her hair and spread a few rumors. I am not nearly so bent on destruction as you seem to believe."

"Oh, yeah. You're just downright full of sunshine and rainbows, aren't you?"

"Clint."

Steve's one word had the archer's mouth snapping shut and he settled sullenly back in his chair. Tony was grinding his teeth together to resist snapping at the man. Hadn't Clint already caused enough harm lately? And alright, so maybe Tony wasn't being as understanding as he could be, but Barton really was acting like an asshole. Steve switched over to a softer tone to address Loki and Tony.

"I can't say that I'm not without reservations about this situation. I'm hesitant for the team to get involved with something when it hinges upon helping someone we have considered an enemy for so long." He had the decency to at least look sheepish as he said it. "But I also cannot condone taking someone's children away from them without a good reason. I'd like to help as well, if that's okay."

Loki bowed his head, actually looking a touch grateful. Tony could see the beginnings of hope in his eyes and realized that the god hadn't actually let himself believe this was truly happening until this moment.

"Your assistance would be greatly appreciated, Captain. Should we manage to pull this off and my children are brought back to my side, your realm need not fear mistreatment from me. I request only that they be given safe haven here and not hunted as they would be on Asgard."

The man who nodded back was every bit Captain America, serious and determined.

"You will have the full backing of the Avengers and, I am sure, Stark Industries."

Tony nodded in agreement. He hadn't thought Loki would throw in something like that, a promise to stop causing mischief on Earth, but he was glad for it. He could practically see the moment Natasha's stance towards the whole thing shifted. She suddenly looked more thoughtful than suspicious.

"How are we to know you will keep your word?"

Okay, maybe she was still a bit suspicious.

"I am prepared to swear an oath on the matter, if that is what it will take. However, be warned that I will not hesitate to protect what is mine, if they are threatened."

His tone was deadly serious, right along with his expression, and Natasha watched him analytically for several long moments before giving a sharp nod.

"I believe you. You will have my help on this venture."

Clint groaned and threw his hands up in the air, exasperation and a touch of annoyance on his face.

"Well, shit. I'm not about to let the rest of you run off without me." His eyes narrowed again and he turned his full attention on Loki. "But I'll be watching you."

Loki's lips twitching in a smirk.

"Like a hawk?"

Clint only continued to glare. Bruce removed his glasses to clean them on his shirt.

"To be honest, I am not sure how much of use I will be, but I'm happy to help, too." He replaced the glasses and smiled at the billionaire with fond bemusement. "Someone has to keep an eye on Tony, after all."

Tony made a noise of protest but was waved aside as Steve shifted into planning and strategy mode.

"So what do we have right now? Do we have any idea where your children might be?" He paused, seemingly struck by a thought. "How many kids do you have, anyway?"

And, okay, that was actually a pretty good question. Tony probably should have thought of that one earlier. He knew what the legends said…but who knew how accurate those actually were.

"Four. Three sons and a daughter."

Okay. Apparently they actually were accurate.

"One of my nephews remains still upon Asgard, though Loki was forbidden to see him there. Sleipnir resides in the royal stables"

Bruce frowned.

"That's…the horse, right?"

"Indeed!" Thor puffed his chest out proudly, clearly throwing himself head first into Proud Uncle Mode. "Sleipnir is the finest steed in all of the Nine Realms! His father was Svadilfari, the King of Horses! His heritage is of the greatest prestige!"

Clint's head snapped around so fast Tony was briefly worried he might have gotten whiplash.

"His father? But isn't _Loki_ his father?"

Thor's joyous laughter filled the room and Tony could practically feel the way Loki drew in on himself. The genius frowned and glanced back and forth between the two. He had a feeling things were about to go downhill very quickly.

"My brother may shift forms at will! He coupled with Svadilfari in the form of a lovely mare! It was he who bore the Sleipnir to term."

Tony didn't think there was a single muscle in Loki's body that wasn't wound as tight as Clint's bowstring. His jaw was locked and the genius could practically hear his teeth grinding together. It took him less than a second to figure out what that problem was.

"Seriously?" He beamed down at the disgruntled god, not letting anything but excitement and fascination show on his face. "That has to be one of the coolest things I've ever heard! I thought you were just throwing up illusions! You can actually change your physiology?"

Bruce was leaning forward too, just as interested as Tony was. Loki still looked a bit hesitant.

"Yes…"

"Can you do it now? Oh, god! Can you do it in my lab? Can I scan you while you do it? Jesus, Loki! How could you not mention this earlier?!"

Caught up in the excitement that was barely even an act anymore, Tony grabbed a corner of Loki's chair and dragged it around so he was facing the god. He immediately started poking and patting the alien's body as though it would reveal some mystery to him. It took him a moment to realize he had somehow ended up in his knees. Whatever. Not important. Science Time!

Loki batted his hands away. His face had morphed to show a more relaxed irritation, but his eyes still danced with mirth.

"Another time, Stark. For now, I do believe we have other things to focus on?"

Tony blinked.

"Oh, right. Kid retrieval. Okay. So, there's Sleipnir. Who else are we going after? Fenrir, Hela and Jormungandr?"

Thor and Loki both stared at him like he'd grown an extra head. He scoffed at them.

"What? I can read! Did you really expect for two Norse gods to show up on my planet and I _wouldn't_ do research?"

Loki smirked.

"I am more surprised you humans actually managed to retain accurate information."

"Hey! We are exceptionally good at sharing information!"

Loki's look of utter shocked really couldn't have been more faked.

"Truly? Has no one told SHIELD? You really should get that looked at."

Tony couldn't hold back his laughter, even if half the table was scowling at the exchange and neither Bruce nor Thor looked wholly comfortable either.

"Okay, okay. Back on topic. Who are we getting first?"

"Sleipnir."

Loki said it as though it were a given, as though any alternative was completely out of the question. Natasha lifted her eyebrows at his from her seat, silently seeking answers that it seemed, for once, that Loki was willing to give her.

"Odin will know quickly once our plans begin. We cannot afford to go up against increased security on Asgard. If we do not retrieve Sleipnir first, we likely would not be able to."

That logic got nods of agreement from around the table.

"Very well," Steve said. "We will need to come up with a plan, then. I cannot imagine this will be easy to pull off, even without the increased security."

Loki tipped his head in acknowledgement.

"Heimdall will not be an easy obstacle to overcome, and he will be far from the last."

Natasha pushed herself to her feet.

"Barton and I will go talk to Fury. Having the Avengers back you is one thing, but Fury will have to be the one to call off SHIELD if you want to be safe here."

Loki's expression darkened and his eyes narrowed into a glare.

"I do not much desire to expose such a weakness to that man."

And, okay…Tony was really starting to understand what sort of trust Loki was placing in their team if he was willing to admit out loud that he had a weakness. It was hard to believe this was the same guy who'd once tried to take over their world. His kids had to make up Loki's entire world if he was willing to put himself so out there just to get them back. For her part, Natasha nodded in understanding.

"I can keep as many details out of the explanation as possible, but life will be exponentially harder if Fury is not on board for this."

Loki seemed to consider this for a moment before rising to his feet and dragging Tony right along with him by one elbow.

"You will excuse us for just a moment."

It half sounded like a request and half like an order, but no one seemed inclined to stop them as Loki dragged the inventor out of the room. Once they were around the corner and in the hallway, Loki flicked a wrist and muttered something in another language.

"Now we may speak in peace. Not even the spirit that resides within your walls will be able to track our conversation."

Tony's eyebrows flew up and he'd have been lying if he denied the flicker of panic that ran through him.

"JARVIS? What'd you do to him?"

"Be at peace, Stark. No harm has come to your creation. I have merely silenced our voices to its electronic ears, as I have to the ears of your companions."

Tony nodded absently, eyes tracking where he knew JARVIS's circuits ran behind the walls. He knew he wouldn't feel completely at ease again until he was able to check on the AI. Loki seemed to understand his concern and gave him a moment to allow Tony to settle himself before shifting to regain his attention.

"I seek your expertise in this matter. I have dealt with Director Fury many times as an enemy, but never as a possible…" He paused. "Ally does not seem quite the right word."

Tony snorted, seeing where this was going but not the point in dragging it out.

"Yeah, Fury doesn't really go allies, more like temporary not-enemies. He's kinda like you like that."

Loki just turned a weighted gaze upon the inventor and Tony had the sudden feeling their relationship was about to shift in a way that could not be taken back.

"I simply am very particular about the allies I choose. I do not settle for anything less than the best."

And, okay…Tony had no idea how to respond to that. Instead of addressing the revelation, he just coughed awkwardly and reverted back to the previous topic.

"So, right. Fury." He heaved a sigh and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "He's not exactly a simple guy. It's hard to predict what he might do."

"But you have some idea."

"Yeah. Look, Fury is like _the_ spy. He's wily and secretive and he's practically the patron saint of playing his cards close to the vest. But he isn't a bad guy. He isn't about to let something like sentimentality stand in the way, but if this gets spun right, I think he would be willing to set aside past grudges."

Loki nodded in thought, mulling over his words.

"So you are saying that I should offer him a deal he can't refuse…"

The spark in his eyes when they connected with Tony's said that the reference was entirely on purpose.

"Hmmm…perhaps with a little less horse head, I would say, but that's the general idea."

Loki nodded once in understanding, little more than a dip of his head.

"Then so it shall be. Come. Let us rejoin your team."

He flicked his wrist again, presumably to dispel his earlier magic. Tony's gaze darted towards JARVIS's circuitry once more as they moved back towards the kitchen area.

"J?"

"Is there something I may assist you with, Sir?"

Tony couldn't help his grin.

"Nah. Just glad to hear your voice."

"As ever, Sir, the pleasure is mine."

Loki graciously waited for him to finish his little interaction before turning to Natasha, who had not yet retaken her seat.

"I would entreat you to deliver unto Fury an offer in exchange for his agreement to permit myself and my children an untroubled existence upon your plan. It will be the same as I offered your Captain, that Midgard shall need not fear threat from me or mine. Additionally, should the Avengers come up against a threat of magical origin, I will be willing to lend my knowledge and expertise to maximize their chances for a successful outcome."

Natasha's face betrayed nothing, but every other person in the room looked surprised to say the least. Natasha nodded sharply.

"Consider it delivered."

She turned and left the room with no more preamble than that, Barton following quickly behind her. Steve watched them go before turning back to Loki.

"You would be willing to help us?"

"Not particularly, no." Steve opened his mouth to voice his confusion but Loki shut him up with a single glare. "I will help Anthony. The fact that your team's goals will coincide with his is merely coincidence and will be treated as such. Do not mistake my loyalty here to be to you."

And…okay again. Apparently the wonders of the day would never cease.


	5. Sleipnir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to Asgard begins the first trial of Project FrostIron...

Tony crept as quietly as he could through the streets of Asgard. He would have loved to take the time to actually observe the society around him, to find and take apart every scrap of technology they possessed, but they had a job to do. He slunk after Loki, pressing close against the side of buildings with Steve all but prancing along behind him. Seriously, how the Hell did a guy with so much muscle stay so light on his feet?

Loki came to a halt at the corner of a building, peering around the edge cautiously to ensure than the coast was clear. Tony took the opportunity to collapse against the wall, breathing heavily. The casing of the arc reactor was scraping against what was left of his sternum and rib cage in a most unpleasant manner. He wasn't exactly an enhanced super soldier, much less a Norse deity. He hadn't been built for this kind of exertion, not without his suit. Steve clapped him encouragingly on his shoulder as he passed Tony to reach Loki.

"So how long is that illusion of yours supposed to last again? It's not going to short out early if Thor does too much damage, right?"

Tony didn't need to be able to see Loki's face to know he was irritated with the Captain's question. The inventor could understand. He didn't like being doubted either.

"Thor is quite familiar with my illusions. He will know when to hold his blow. It will last for as long as is needed." He glanced backwards at them, glaring at Steve before transferring a slightly softer look to Tony. "But that does not mean we should dally. The illusion will last, but Heimdall's attention upon it shall not if something happens to distract him."

Then he was off again, rounding the corner like a shadow. Tony nearly growled in frustration. He was going to get a complex if he kept hanging out with all these super human assholes. Sometimes he felt like Bruce was the only one who actually understood what it was like to be human. Even the assassin twins seemed to have crazy, unexplainable abilities.

Steve shot Tony a worried look but the inventor just pushed past him to follow the god. He was not going to hold them back on a quest that was his own God-damned idea. Curse Loki vetoing his suit because of the attention it would draw. Apparently it gave off too much energy to slip past Heimdall. If Tony wanted to go on this leg of the journey, he had to do it without the armor.

Loki was not easy to keep up with, staying far enough ahead of the other two to only just barely keep within sight. He was constantly ducking around corners, weaving in and out of view like he wasn't even there. Steve, at least, seemed more inclined to stick with Tony than run off after the god in an attempt to keep up. If they got lost, they'd do it together. (And then Loki would probably skin them alive for making things more difficult.)

They rounded the corner of yet another towering, golden building only to draw up short as they nearly ran into Loki's back. Well, nearly on Steve's part. Tony made some pretty solid contact. He likely would have ended up on his ass if the dark-haired god hadn't wound an arm quickly around his waist and pulled him close to keep him on his feet. Tony instinctively grabbed onto the god's sleeve with one hand and the front of his leather jacket with the other.

It was clear they had reached the stables of Asgard, if the riding arenas and stalls filled with horses were anything to go by. The ground was packed dirt, the first non-paved area Tony had seen since their arrival through one of Loki's back doors between the realms. It seemed that the place was pretty much deserted; an understandable thing given it was the middle of the night. A lone figure, though, stood in their way, bearing a single lantern.

She cut a tall, imposing figure, despite having no weapons on display. Her long, pale dress flowed and billowed in the slight wind that chilled the night air and her eyes watched them calculatingly. Golden curls were swept away from a face that could be just as motherly as it was fierce and tumbled down her back. Tony had to admit that she was utterly stunning. Loki's eyes didn't leave her for a moment.

"Mother."

A small smile graced her lips and Tony suddenly realized he was standing before the Queen of Asgard, Frigga. She was nothing at all like he would have imagined…but she definitely fit the role perfectly. She held herself like a queen.

"My son. I must confess some surprise to finding you in the company of mortals…and your brother's allies, no less."

The fingers that were curled around Tony's hip squeezed tighter and the genius was pretty positive Loki had actually completely forgotten that he was in the god's hold. The fact did not seem to escape Frigga, though, as she eyes the arm around Tony's waist. The genius decided it still probably wasn't a very good time to blurt out that this wasn't what it looked like.

"I mean no harm to Asgard on this venture. I have simply come to take back something which is mine."

Frigga's eyebrow rose, her gaze flickering back to Loki's face.

"I do love you, Loki. Do not doubt that. But I have learned to not so easily believe your intentions as I once did. Come," she gestured to a short row of benches close by, "may we not talk of this?"

Loki's arm slipped away from Tony as the god took a few steps forward, face closing off in a way that said he would not be taking a seat anytime soon. Steve shifted uncomfortably, shield finding its way off his back and onto his arm. For all that he had come from the 40's, Tony was pretty sure he would be the last of them to underestimate a woman.

"I am afraid I do not have that luxury at the moment."

Frigga nodded in such a way that said she had never expected him to agree in the first place and her smile was fond.

"You have always been in such a hurry to skip past anyone's priorities but your own. Very well, dear. At the very least I shall walk with you to see my grandson."

Surprise flickered through Tony, but he didn't see it reflected on Loki's face. Apparently he had already come to terms with the face that Frigga had them figured out. The mortal nearly jumped out of his skin when the queen appeared beside him and took his arm as they began forward. Either Loki was biding his time to spring a trap on her, or he really did not see the harm in letting her accompany them.

"You must be the Man of Iron. Thor has spoken quite highly of you and your machines. And you, too, of course, Captain. He has said your valor knows no equal."

Steve ducked his head in a chagrined manner and Tony couldn't help but feel the same way. Good Lord, he hadn't even spoken a word yet and already he felt like he'd been more mothered than he'd ever felt with his own. Loki did not look nearly so affected.

"Really, mother? Is now the time for idle chitchat?"

She tutted at him and shot Tony a look that was clearly supposed to be conspiratorial. 'Oh, just look at my dear son and his atrocious manners. Whatever is a mother to do?'

"Why, Loki, when else am I supposed to learn a thing or two about the heroes of Midgard? It is not as though they are regular dinner guests. Besides, I am quite interested in hearing just how you came to be working together. The last I had heard you were not at all on good terms."

Her tone was calming, not accusatory, and Tony was pretty sure that was the only reason Loki just huffed and continued stalked along the line of stalls instead of blowing into an all-out temper.

"We are helping Loki with a…project, ma'am," Steve answered. Tony could practically see Loki's fingers twitching with the desire to wrap around the super soldier's throat. "Or, really, it was Tony's idea. I think it's a good plan. For everyone."

Tony had to admit that, despite everything, Steve's fumbled attempts to still hide what was actually going on while being polite was pretty cute. It was kind of like watching a puppy bring its owner a chewed-up slipper and expecting to be praised. Frigga smiled at him kindly before patting Tony gently on the arm.

"Ah, yes. You have set out to reclaim his children, yes? You are very good friends to do so. I am grateful Loki has you to rely on."

Loki slowed to a stop, turning a bit to stare at his mother.

"You…do not plan on stopping us?"

Frigga's laugh sounded like wind chimes and Tony couldn't help but smile, slightly enchanted. She released his arm to brush forward and press a quick kiss to Loki's cheek.

"Oh, honey…must you always expect the worse? I was never in agreement with your father's decision to take your children away from you." Her expression looked like a storm cloud for all of a moment before she cleared it. "I think it is a wonderful thing that you are taking them home. I've been waiting for this for quite some time, you know."

She turned away from him them and back to Tony. He almost jumped away when she took his hands in her own, but managed to restrain himself. Frigga had a calming quality about her, but it unnerved him that she seemed to know so much. He squeezed his eyes shut as she leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead. Her lips were warm and he felt his skin tingle in the place where they were pressed even after she had pulled away. Tony's panicky gaze darted over towards Loki, who was eyeing his mother suspiciously.

"Don't forget to remove his bridle, dear." Frigga leaned in closer, her mouth brushing Tony's ear. "It must be you."

Then she pulled away and was striding off, leaving them all in stunned silence as the light of her lantern faded with her. Tony coughed a bit.

"Loki, man, no offense, but your mom is, like, super weird."

Loki shot him a glare that said he did not appreciate that comment before he whipped around and strode off once more, cape flapping dramatically behind him.

"Hurry up. We have already wasted enough time on foolishness."

Tony and Steve shared a look before setting off after the god. Tony had to practically jog to keep up with Loki's stupidly long legs.

"Hi-ho, Grumpy. I get that we've got work to do but not all of us have your expertise with understanding Asgardian customs. Care to explain what the Hell happened back there?"

Loki managed to look at the same time both like a wrathful conqueror and a petulant child.

"Suffice it to say that my mother has approved you and your _team_ as my _playmates._ "

He did not sound overly pleased by the announcement. It did absolutely nothing to ease Tony's confusion.

"Yeah, no, got that part. And what of how she's been waiting for this? And the kissing and the hand-holding? Is that, like, normal here?"

Maybe it was, but something about it just didn't seem right. It was like a tick nagging at the back of Tony's mind and he just couldn't seem to let it go. Loki's look was assessing when he turned it on the mortal once more.

"Frigga was born with the gift of clairvoyance. She is in tune with the Norns and receives visions of the future. There is much that she knows without having to be told."

Tony gaped at him.

"Your mom can see the _future?!_ "

Loki lifted one shoulder in a nonchalant kind of way, glancing around before taking a turn and proceeding down another row of stalls. Seriously, did they keep every horse on Asgard in the same damn place? The more Tony saw of Asgardian culture, the less impressed he was.

"It is not something to be controlled, as I am sure you are imagining. The Norns simply choose to bless my mother with visions when it suits them. I remember many times when I was a child that she would have them. Often, the glimpses she caught she was not able to make sense out of until the event had already come to pass. Sometimes they are clearer than others."

Tony fell silent for a moment, chewing his bottom lip.

"And what about you? Are you ever 'blessed by the Norns' or whatever? Is it a magic-user thing?"

Loki chuckled, some of his tension fading away. Tony was glad to see him getting back to himself. It appeared that he, like Tony himself, found comfort in explaining things to others, in sharing information and making the universe a little bit of a smaller place.

"The ways of the Norns are mysteries even to us. There are those who train to be their messengers, but they are chosen by the Norns themselves. I have never received a vision."

"But you still could?"

Loki frowned, seeming to consider it.

"It is unlikely, but not impossible. There have been cases where an individual has received a single vision from the Norns."

Tony smirked.

"Cool. Well, I'm glad they've got more of a…frequent conversation going with your mom." Loki shot his a quizzical look and Tony grinned in response. "Think about it. Whatever they showed her must have been a good thing. Otherwise she never would have given us the green light on this one."

Loki chuckled and his gaze was warm as his eyes caught Tony's. The warmth seemed to spread into the mortal's chest and he found himself rather enjoying the sensation.

"You always seem to surprise me with your perspectives, Stark."

Tony snorted.

"Yeah. Breaking expectations. That's kind of my forte."

Spirits lifted for at least the time being, they moved on in silence. Tony could feel Cap's eyes digging into the back of his skull, assessing…something, but he couldn't really spare the attention for it. Loki led them to a stall at the end of the row, beautifully bedecked in the finest of the fine of horse-related products. They didn't even have to use magic to unlock the door.

Sleipnir was…majestic. There was no other way to put it. Tony marveled at the size of the horse and the sheer power that exuded from every limb. His coat was sleek and white, shiny and smooth so that it glistened in the dim light. He stood tall, taller even than Loki, and there was a weighty intelligence behind his dark eyes. His bridle, which he still wore, looked to be made of solid gold with inlaid gems.

Loki took a single hesitant step into the stall before rushing forward to throw his arms around the stallion's neck, holding him tightly. Sleipnir seemed just as pleased, taking a few strands of Loki's hair between his teeth and tugging them teasingly. Loki pulled back to look him over, running his hands over the horse's neck and nose. Once he seemed satisfied with the state of his offspring, he turned back to his two companions.

"Anthony, Captain Rogers, may I present to you my eldest son, Sleipnir."

Steve bobbed his head a bit in awkward acknowledgement, clearly not quite sure how to handle being introduced to a horse. Tony, however, was absolutely beaming.

"I admit it. I'm impressed."

He approached somewhat cautiously, holding out one hand, palm up, for Sleipnir to sniff and investigate. He'd grown up going to horseback riding camps every summer at his mother's insistence and it was probably the only outdoor activity he'd ever actually enjoyed. It hadn't so much been the riding, but actually taking care of the horses and forming that bond that he had loved. Even now he sponsored several stables back on Earth.

Tony could feel Loki's gaze upon him, but he was honestly transfixed on Sleipnir. He was starting to wonder if everyone in Loki's family was just drop dead gorgeous or if Tony himself had some kind of predisposition towards them. Sleipnir had to be the most magnificent horse he'd seen in his entire life and, while the stallion didn't inspire the same kind of fantasies in Tony that Loki did, he would happily admit that creature was a thing of pure beauty.

Sleipnir met him halfway across the stall, gently nudging Loki out of the way with his shoulder. His muzzle was soft against Tony's palm and the inventor couldn't help the breathy laugh that escaped him at the feeling. He hadn't even realized he'd missed horses so much until he was presented with one in such close proximity. Granted, none of the horses he'd ever owned or ridden had eight legs, but still…

"Hello." He brought his other hand forward and slid his palms up either side of Sleipnir's nose, scratching the part where his jaw met his neck. "I'm Tony Stark. I'm a friend of your mom's."

This seemed to please the stallion as he bobbed his head and crowded closer to the inventor, almost toppling him over. Sleipnir nipped at the shoulder seem of Tony's t-shirt, but it didn't seem to be at all in an aggressive way. Still grinning, Tony glanced over his shoulder to see Steve hovering by the door of the stall, all tense muscles and darting eyes.

"Uh, Cap? You doing alright there?"

Steve's eyes were riveted of Sleipnir before darting around the stall and back. He looked mere moments from bolting. Tony's eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"I've, uh…never been around a horse before…I didn't realize they were so…big."

Tony snorted and turned his head to hide his grin. He couldn't believe it. _Captain America_ was afraid of _horses._ Shortness of breath and the painful ache in his chest aside, this night just kept getting better and better. Sleipnir's head popped up at the admission and Tony frowned as his fingers dragged along the edge of the bridle as it ran under the stallion's jaw.

Sleipnir pushed past Tony in much the same way he had Loki, nudging him out of the way with the mindfulness of a giant who knew its own strength. Steve only seemed to become more and more tense as the stallion drew closer, but did not give up his ground. Good little soldier.

The stallion was not reckless, though, and approached slowly, giving Steve time to adjust to the proximity. He dipped his great head low, bringing his line of sight on par with the soldier's. A soft nicker escaped him as he nudged his muzzle into Steve's chest. If they were in a Hallmark movie, that would have been the moment Steve discovered that maybe he wasn't so scared of horses after all…instead it was the moment that Tony realized that Sleipnir enjoyed mischief just as much as Loki did. No need to wonder which parent that gene came from.

Tony wasn't in the mood for jokes, though, his days of taking care of horses coming back to him full-force. He slid along Sleipnir's side to draw level with him again, one hand on the stallion's flank so as not to startle him. Tony cupped a hand under his jaw to draw him away from Steve's chest. It seemed Loki was instantly alerted by the mortal's concern and was beside him almost instantly.

"What is wrong?"

Tony was already lifting Sleipnir's head, though, ducking his own to get a better look. His teeth ground together with anger at what he saw.

"Those fucking bastards. What kind of idiots are taking care of these horses? This bridle has clearly been left on way too long! It's chaffing the Hell out of his jaw!"

His fingers were slipping under the gold-plated leather of the bridle before he even registered Loki's protests, not that he was paying enough attention to really hear what was being said. His blood boiled when he realized the problem was a bent piece of the plating, the corner catching and tearing at Sleipnir's flesh. He all but threw the brindle to the stable floor as soon as Sleipnir and dropped the bit into his hand.

He rubbed the stallion's cheeks soothingly and cooed at him, something he would have felt horribly embarrassed by if he weren't so riled. It wasn't until the long moments of silence stretched on and on that he glanced up to find Loki staring at him like he'd grown another head. Steve, still looking antsy, was flicking his gaze back and forth between them. Tony suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Um, did I…do something wrong?"

_'Absolutely not. And if my mother tries to tell you otherwise, I shall kick him in the head.'_

Tony nearly leapt out of his skin and spun around to try and locate the speaker. Sleipnir nudged the genius's cheek with his muzzle and Tony just stared.

"Oh, my God…You can talk…"

_'Being the son of a god gives me many benefits. However, it seems that you are the one with the magic touch.'_

Sleipnir's mouth didn't move as the voice filled the air and Tony realized that he was actually _projecting_ the sounds rather than speaking them. Was this some form of magic or merely an innate ability? How did it work? He was so caught up in the mechanics of it all that his mind nearly skipped right over what had actually been said.

"The magic touch? Me?"

He immediately turned to Loki, his go-to for any magic related inquiry. Apparently that was part of their 'thing' now, anyway. Tony still didn't like the thought of Loki owing him, but he definitely did not mind having his questions answered. Loki's gaze had fallen to the bridle upon the ground, though, eyes filled with wonder and face disbelieving. Tony glanced down and was stunned to see that it had morphed into what appeared to be a chain necklace, though still made of gold and gems.

"It is the Torc of Gambanteinn, an artifact of great power. It binds the wearer to obedience, though it does not rob them of their self as my influence did with Barton…" Loki's eyes drew up to meet Tony's and the genius felt almost as though he were being sucked into their emerald abyss. "You should not have been able to remove it. The enchantments placed upon it-Oh, _Mother…_ "

Loki burst into laughter, the kind the sounded slightly insane because of how inspired by relief it was. Tony was about to ask what exactly the queen had done to apparently give Tony the ability to remove the bridle, but the blare of a horn cut him off before he could even begin. Just as suddenly as mirth had entered the god's eyes it was gone, replaced by the hunted look he wore with such familiarity.

"Gjallarhorn! Heimdall has noticed us and is calling the guards! We must flee! Now!"

Loki looked as fierce as the sea in the midst of a storm as he seized Steve by one shoulder and shoved him out of the stall. Tony hurried to follow, one hand coming up to rub ruefully at the arc reactor. Even with the adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins, he knew it would not be enough to get him back along the path they had come without serious consequences. He was probably going to end up on bed rest for a week with all this running about. Not that anyone else needed to know.

"Great," he grumbled as he moved to follow Loki and Steve, "as if it wasn't hard enough to keep up with you two when you _weren't_ trying to leave me in your super-powered dust."

He gave a very undignified yelp as he was suddenly seized by the back of his t-shirt and flung around so fast the entire world blurred. He grasped desperately to the first solid thing he came into contact with and was startled to find himself on Sleipnir's back, of all places. The stallion was giving a sly look over his shoulder.

_'It seemed, young mortal, that you might have been in need of a ride…'_

Tony had never laughed so hard while fleeing from an enemy which, actually, was saying something.


	6. A Pain in the Chest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony suffers some side affects from running around without his suit on.

After their successful escape from Asgard, Tony wound up stuck in bed for three days feeling like someone had taken a sledgehammer to his chest. Just moving his arms sent jolts of agony through the inflamed tissue and sitting up left him gasping for air. The heaving of his lungs only compounded the problem. He'd known he'd have to pay for all that running around he'd done, not to mention the trip through Yggdrasil and all the climbing and near-falling it had required, but he hadn't realized until the morning after just how badly he'd managed to fuck himself up. Thank God Sleipnir had given him a ride on the way back or he might not have even made it.

As it was, he'd beat a hasty retreat to his pent house as soon as he was sure everyone was settled. It hadn't looked like Loki or Sleipnir planned to sleep that night, but he made sure they knew where the guestrooms were anyway. He'd also instructed JARVIS to make sure all the proper necessities were taken care of for him to be housing a _horse_ in his tower. Tony had fallen into bed that night exhausted and still bewildered by the events of the day.

It wasn't until he'd woken up to pain that seemed to reach as deep as his soul that he realized what kind of trouble he was in. The area all around the arc reactor was an angry red, inflamed by the irritation it had suffered by his ribs rubbing against the casing so much. It had been a fight to drag himself to the bathroom to relieve his bladder and make it back to bed.

"JARVIS, lock down the penthouse. Avengers emergencies only, and make sure to confirm the incident before you make the alert. And keep this on the down low. I don't want the team worrying about this. It's not their problem, so don't you tell on me."

"At once, Sir," came the soothing British voice from above. "Shall I alert your personal physician? Records indicate you were rather satisfied with Dr. Hathaway's care during your last incident."

Tony let his eyes fall shut, willing away the buzz of ideas that beat at the inside of his skull like a flock of angry pigeons. Even just using a StarkPad at this point would be Hellish but going without an outlet for his mind's constant racing wouldn't be a walk in the park either. He was going to drive himself insane.

"No physicians, JARV. We're gonna have to get through this one on our own."

"If I may, Sir, the inflammation around the Arc Reactor housing is already showing signs of being quite severe. Going without medical assistance would be highly inadvisable."

Tony snorted, instantly regretting it as pain flared up in his chest.

"Sorry, buddy. That's just the way it's gotta be. We can't afford to have extra people in the tower right now."

He did like Dr. Hathaway, even trusted her enough to let her bully him around with medical equipment, but that didn't mean he was going to bring her into this whole situation with Loki. She'd ask questions about how the inflammation had occurred and there would be no way to avoid her getting involved, even though it would just be as a bystander. It wasn't something Tony was willing to have happen. JARVIS didn't have to speak to let his disapproval be known.

Tony had managed to fall back asleep for a while after that, his body using up more energy than it normally would to try and fix the problems happening in his chest. He didn't bother taking any pain medications. He knew from previous experience that the only ones that would help would have to come from Hathaway and she wouldn't write him a prescription without checking him over. After that, he'd lain awake for all of five minutes before restlessness overrode his aversion to pain and he started using his tablet to work on some of his new projects. Just because helping Loki find his kids had become top priority didn't mean that he didn't have other things that needed to get done, too.

Pepper had been begging him to take a look at the new batch of proposals from R&D. He was already three weeks behind and the proposals were sent to him at the beginning of each month to either approve or deny. He just had never quite been in the mood to sit around and read somebody else's boring ideas. Okay, every once in a while there was something of note, but they were mostly boring. Luckily, boring was something that didn't sound quite as bad as usual given Tony's situation.

Tony spent his day doing small projects otherwise left neglected and napping. He'd ventured out of his room only once to raid his personal kitchen. He'd fallen asleep at the table before making the trip back, which probably was not helpful to his condition in the slightest. Snacks and nonperishables had been taken with him. That evening, JARVIS had informed him that the Avengers, as well as his houseguests, were inquiring after his presence.

"Tell 'em I'm not available, J. You know this game."

"Certainly, Sir, though I do not believe such excuses will satisfy them, the current situation being what it is."

"Well, they're just going to have to deal with it, aren't they?"

Tony had waved away any further protests and continued to dabble on his tablet until his brain shut down enough that he could get some sleep. When he woke up the next day, he felt even worse. He didn't even bother trying to move.

"I guess it's true what they say about strained muscles being more sore the second day, eh, JARV?"

"Are you certain you would not like me to contact Dr. Hathaway, Sir? It would be possible to get her in and out of the tower without her having any interactions with either the team or your guests."

Tony paused in the middle of his mental perusal of a new method to route power to his repulsors. JARVIS had to be really concerned if he was offering to hide things from the team just to get a doctor in. The AI and Steve were practically co-conspirators when it came to managing Tony's health. As much as Tony seemed to disregard his robot butler's advice on a regular basis, he almost always gave in when JARVIS started showing real concern. His bots were his babies. He hated seeing them in any kind of distress. And, he would admit only to himself and only very quietly, he was always a bit floored by their concern.

"I'm sorry, J…I can't. Not this time."

Tony set his work aside and curled into his pillow, hoping to take a nap to sleep off the guilt now settling in his chest. He knew that bringing Dr. Hathaway in on the situation wouldn't be the end of the world, but Loki didn't need anyone else knowing his business. If there was anything Tony had learned about him, it was that Loki was a private person. Much like the inventor himself, he didn't like having others involved in his personal affairs. He certainly wouldn't be pleased with the idea of some complete stranger sticking her nose in.

Besides, Tony knew his team. Even with JARVIS's assurances, he couldn't be sure they wouldn't somehow find out that he was not in top shape. They would be on him like a bad rash as soon as they discovered it, all but babying him with their good intentions. He loved his team, he did, and he appreciated the fact that they cared about him more than words could express…but he really didn't want to deal with Steve's wide, concern-filled eyes right now. He wasn't made of glass. He just needed to take it easy for a little bit and the only thing the doc would do was write him a prescription for pain medication anyway, maybe an anti-inflammatory with how bad things were this time around.

This wasn't nearly as bad as waking up in a cave with a car battery attached to his chest. It didn't compare to having Palladium pumping through his veins for weeks on end, slowly killing him. Really, Tony had gone through worse. In the grand scheme of things, a few days of bed rest and a bit of pain weren't that bad.

JARVIS managed to keep the others at bay, or at least out of the penthouse, until the third day when he alerted Tony to an intruder on his floor mere moments before the door to his room burst inward, slamming loudly into the wall. Loki stood in his doorway, seething as he glared at the room's only inhabitant.

" _Stark,_ " he growled, as he stalked toward the man on the bed, "you will find that, despite my plethora of years, I have yet to learn the virtue of patience when there is something that needs to be done."

Tony struggled to push himself up in the bed far enough to lean against the headboard, his chest flaring up in pain and making him grimace. He hadn't bothered with a shirt, knowing getting it on and off would only cause discomfort, so his arc reactor and the angry skin around it were fully exposed. He saw Loki's eyes widen a bit with surprise at the sight.

"Hey, Lokes. Nice to see you."

The god's scowl was suddenly concerned rather than aggressive as he crossed the last bit of the room in only a few long strides.

"You have been injured. Why did you not say anything?"

Loki reached out to softly caress the reddened skin around the reactor, Tony only having a minor panic attack over having someone else so close to it. Loki's hands were cool, though, and he found it easier to handle the proximity.

"It's not a big deal. Just a little sore."

Loki's gaze flickered up to look at his face. One elegant eyebrow arched upward. Tony grumbled.

"Okay. A bit more than a little. Now scooch."

He made a little shooing motion with his hands to get Loki to back away. No matter how nice the touch felt on his heated flesh, he could only stand it for so long. The god drew away easily, concern and confusion still coloring his expression.

"Have I hurt you?"

"Nah. Just don't really like people touching it."

"My apologies. I merely wished to assess the damage. How came you by this injury?"

Tony hesitated. If he told Loki that it was caused by exertion, would he prevent Tony from continuing to help? Would he make Tony stay behind while the god and the others went to get his remaining children? Narrowed eyes gave away Loki's suspicion at the inventor's slilence.

"It happened while we were in Asgard, didn't it? What caused it?"

Despite Tony pressing his lips into a thin line in a clear desire not to answer, JARVIS took it upon himself to keep Loki informed.

"The tissue surrounding Sir's reactor appears to have become inflamed due to an excess of physical activity. The condition first made itself known upon Sir's return from Asgard, yes. Sir has since declined any sort of medical assistance."

Tony glared at the ceiling, hoping JARVIS understood that his traitorous ways would not go unaddressed. Loki glanced briefly upwards before frowning at the mortal.

"Well, that just won't do, will it?"

Before Tony could even begin to protest, Loki's arms had slipped beneath him and he was being hoisted into the air. His arms flew up to wrap around Loki's neck on pure instinct as the mortal hissed in pain. Seeming completely unburdened by the weight in his arms, the god headed for the door.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?! Put me down!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Loki said, completely unfazed by his objections. "I can hardly trust your ability to walk on your own. You could barely sit up."

"The problem's in my _chest_ not my _legs_! Where are you taking me?"

"Your spirit stated you have not had any sort of medical attention. If memory serves, Dr. Banner has some expertise in that area. I am taking you to him. If this is beyond his skills, I shall deliver you elsewhere."

The words were delivered with absolute certainty, leaving no room for contradiction. Tony's jaw hung open for a moment before he regained control of himself. With a groan of resignation, he allowed his head to fall against Loki's shoulder. He felt the god's chest move as he chuckled.

"I should have known you would make a terrible patient."

The remainder of Tony's team was gathered on the communal floor. They were clearly in the middle of discussing something when Loki and his passenger entered the room. Natasha was the first to spot them, if her climbing eyebrows were anything to go by, and Barton's attention quickly followed.

"Wow, Stark. I knew you were lazy, but this is a new low," the archer quipped.

Loki ignored him as he made a beeline for Bruce.

"Anthony requires medical attention."

Well, that certainly shifted the mood. Bruce gestured hurriedly to the couch.

"Let me see."

Tony huffed as he was gently set down on the cushions.

"I'm _fine_. You're overreacting."

_'Overreacting to what?'_

The sound of hooves on flooring heralded Sleipnir's approach just as surely as his question. Bruce didn't look up from his work as he examined Tony's chest. The genius, however, got an excellent view of what was up the horse's nose as Sleipnir peered over the back of the couch. His equestrian guest cast a critical gaze over his prone from.

_'Ah. As I suspected.'_

Loki shot his eldest son a withering glare.

"You suspected? And you said nothing?"

Sleipnir's head disappeared back over the couch and the sound of his hooves told Tony he was walking away. He reappeared moments later at the edge of Tony's vision, making his way around to stand near Steve. Tony might have laughed if he weren't sure it would cause him an undue amount of discomfort.

_'It was not my place.'_

"Not your place?" Thor rumbled. "My nephew, you should have spoken up. Friend Stark has an ongoing war against taking care of his health."

"Hey! I am perfectly capable of keeping myself alive! I was doing it long before any of you mother hens got here!"

Barton snorted.

"You mean _Potts_ was."

Sleipnir brought one hoof down hard enough that Steve flinched visibly. Apparently the past few days had done little to quell his nerves.

_'I was under the impression that Stark was of an age to be considered fully grown by human standards. Surely he is more than capable of making his own decisions.'_

Tony grinned.

"Oh, you are _so_ my favorite. Mr. Ed's got nothin' on yo-AH!"

He jolted as Bruce prodded a particularly tender spot. Loki's hands were instantly on his shoulders, just resting there. Tony had the distinct impression that it was all the god needed to be able to hold him down. It wasn't a comforting thought. He didn't like being held down, trapped. He focused on Bruce in an attempt not to think about it. His fellow scientist was scowling at the device in his chest.

"Well, I don't think I'll be able to tell you anything you probably didn't already know. The tissue around the reactor is pretty inflamed. What have you been doing for it?"

Tony nearly shrugged before remembering that it wouldn't be a good idea.

"Resting. I've hardly been out of bed."

He could have sworn he heard Rogers mutter something about miracles, but he chose to ignore it. Bruce took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose between two fingers. After a moment's pause, he replaced the lenses and pinned Tony with a tired look.

"This is the worst I've seen it, Tony. Why didn't you call a doctor?"

"Cause I'm a stubborn asshole who avoids medical attention like the plague?" Bruce gave him a look that said he was absolutely not interesting in taking Tony's shit. "Look, it's not that bad. Why does it even matter?"

Admittedly, the sigh Bruce heaved upon hearing that made him feel a bit guilty. To his surprise, it was Loki who spoke up, instead of Bruce.

"I knew you mortals were fragile creatures, but I was unaware that it was so…severe. My apologies. I fear my ignorance has cost you greatly."

By this time, the god had withdrawn his hands from Tony's shoulders and the genius took the opportunity to push himself up into a seated position, doing his best to ignore the pain. He was not going to allow this to happen. Oh, no. He was putting a stop to it _right now._

"Woah! Woah! None of that, you hear? I may not be a fucking god, but I'm not made of china, either. I know how much I can handle."

"Is that why you're laid up on the couch, your chest nearly the same color as the paint on your suit?" Natasha asked, making Barton chuckle. Tony scowled at her. She was not helping.

"Look, I signed up for this whole thing. Hell, I _started_ it." He raised his chin high and glared out at all of them defiantly. "Don't think for a second that you all are going to be able to kick me off now. Gimme two days, three tops, and I'll be good as new."

Loki's frown only deepened at his words.

"It will take you nearly a week to recover from this?"

"Like I said, cupcake, not a god over here."

The fact that Loki didn't shy away from Thor's hand on his shoulder was a pretty strong indicator of how upset he was by the news, even if he tamped down on any other indicators. For his part, Thor was looking pretty sympathetic.

"It takes time for Midgardians to heal, brother. Their bodies are unassisted by refined seidr as ours are. They have not yet mastered any sort of control over the eidr that fills the world. The eidr that gives them life is raw, unchanneled."

That, at least, seemed to snap Loki back to his senses and he jerked away from the other god, leaving Thor looking hurt. Whatever accelerated healing the Aesir had, it was clear that it didn't work on emotional hurt as well as the physical. Tony hoped the two brothers would manage to find some sort of middle ground at some point, though he doubted they would ever be able to go back to the bond they'd once shared.

"I will strive to be more aware in the future. It is unacceptable that Anthony should receive injury whilst granting me a boon."

"Oh, come on! This is such bullshit!" Clint pouted, crossing his arms in a huff. "Why does Stark get the royal treatment out of this whole thing when I'm pretty sure you'd still be more than happy to knife the rest of us?"

Tony grinned, suddenly preening with the knowledge of having one up on Clint.

"I'm just that much more loveable. I'm adorable."

Natasha scoffed and he shot a glare in her direction.

"Hey! I'm cute as a _button!_ "

A snort came from Sleipnir's direction before the eight-legged horse bumped Loki's shoulder with his head.

_'Your mortal is strange, Mother. He suits you well.'_

Loki rolled his eyes, but scratched along Sleipnir's jawline anyway. His affection for his eldest child was obvious. Across the room, Clint was making faces.

"Um, yeah. Can we not go there? How about a change of subject? Stark, you're not battle ready. You can't even operate the armor right now without some severely delayed reaction time and what I would bet to be a lot of discomfort. We're gonna have to go get Loki's wolf cub without you."

Tony was not the only one in the room surprised by how fast he managed to surge to his feet. In fact, he surprised himself to much that Loki had to grab hold of him before he toppled over. The billionaire glared at the gaping archer.

"Fuck you, Barton. Like _Hell_ I'm staying behind!"

Clint recovered quickly, digging his heels in.

"Not really your decision to make, _Stark._ "

"Ah, but it is _mine,_ isn't it?"

They both looked at Loki in surprise. He had released his hold on Tony, but left his hand on the mortal's back for support. His gaze slid sideways to meet Tony's before it slid back to looking down his nose at Barton.

"We are going after _my_ children, are we not? And it was made perfectly clear to me that the final say in who was and was not allowed to join in the venture was to be left to me and me alone, that your team would respect my wishes." He had to pause to hold up a hand placatingly in Steve's direction. "Peace, Captain Rogers. I am not about to do anything drastic. I have been without my children for many a year, a few more days will make little difference. We shall wait for Anthony to recover."

"What of Odin?" Natasha asked. "Won't this give him more time to prepare and put more security around the ones he has guarded?"

"With what we have discovered, there is little he can do to provide more security to Fenrir's cell. It is not as though he can simply send more guards without bringing great trouble down upon Asgard and its people."

Tony was pretty sure he wasn't imagining the way Loki's jaw clenched when he spoke of his youngest son's imprisonment. It was more than what he had displayed when he'd spoken of it before. His brows immediately furrowed with concern.

"What happened? What did we learn?"

Loki seemed unwilling to say, his eyes riveted on the floor. It was Steve who provided Tony's answer.

"Fenrir is on Jotunheim, the realm of the Frost Giants."

Tony's eyebrows shot upward as he turned back to the god at his side.

"Isn't that…?"

Loki's gaze finally moved up to meet his own, pain and guilt riddling it.

"Yes, Stark. It is the realm I attempted to destroy…and nearly succeeded."

Well…No wonder Loki'd been in such a bad mood when he came bursting into Tony's bedroom.


	7. Jotunheim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers plus two take a trip to the frigid wasteland that Jotunheim has become. Everything seems to go pretty smoothly until they reach far below the surface of this glacial world.

Sleipnir, apparently, had a gift for moving between the realms without having to traverse the branches of Yggdrasil or use the Bifrost. As soon as the inflammation in Tony's chest had calmed down, he volunteered to get the team and Loki to Jotunheim. Tony was just glad that he actually got to wear the Iron Man armor this time around. It didn't matter if Heimdall noticed them because Odin wouldn't dare send troops to try and stop them.

He was even more thankful for the suit once they actually got to the realm of the Frost Giants. Both Loki and Thor had warned the team of the freezing temperatures of Jotunheim, but he still found himself surprised by the absolutely biting cold. Tony snapped the faceplate of the suit down mere moments after stepping out onto the realm's tundra-like surface. He could see several of the others shivering with the cold.

"It will get better once we are out of the wind. Let us be off." Loki said in a voice almost as cold as the landscape around them.

Sleipnir took the lead, guiding the group across the valley they had arrived in. The ground all around them was cracked, with towering spires of jagged ice rising up periodically. In all honesty, Tony couldn't be sure if it had been caused by Loki's attack or if this was just how Jotunheim normally looked. Either way, the place was downright depressing.

"There's no one around. Is that usual?"

Leave it to Natasha to ask the pertinent questions. Her eyes were darting back and forth across the landscape as if expecting someone to pop out of a snow bank at any moment. Clint looked no less jumpy from his position near the rear of their group. A quick glance at Loki revealed that his lips were pressed together in a thin line. It was a facial expression that Tony was learning to associate with Loki's self-loathing and seeing it now made him frown, but it wasn't like any of them were expecting this particular trip to not have some emotional strings attached.

_'Those of Jotunheim do not often reveal themselves to outsiders unless they wander into one of the cities. However, there will be none around here to even notice our presence. The Jotunar have moved far from this area.'_

He did not need to expound on exactly why they had moved away. Tony wanted to say something to Loki, something to take the weight off of his shoulders, but he couldn't think of a single thing. It was moments like these that he really wished Pepper was there with him. Maybe he should design an AI version of her to install in his suits. He could hardwire her in and make her into an emergency backup system in case he ever got disconnected from JARVIS. (Like now, when he was woefully out of range.)

"But Fenrir's nearby, right?" Clint piped up. "Because I'd really like to get there before my balls literally climb back into my body in search of warmth."

Despite his chattering teeth, the archer still managed to give Cap a shit eating grin in the face of Steve's disapproving glare. Tony snorted a laugh that was thankfully muffled enough by the suit that nobody caught it. Steve always got in such a mood whenever he thought Clint and Tony were ganging up on him. They, of course, would respond by saying he was quite sassy for an old man.

_'Yes. My brother is not far off.'_

"So, um, just a quick question here. If all the people in the area are gone who's guarding Fenrir? More importantly, who's taking care of him?"

Sleipnir sidled up beside Tony so that the inventor was bracketed by Loki and his son. Without even thinking about it, Tony reached out to scratch along the side of Sleipnir's neck. The stallion nickered appreciatively.

_'My brother has been bound in chains so strong that even he, with his great strength, cannot break them. There is no need for guards when he is already bound thusly. It would only prove to be a danger to those guarding him. After the incident with Tyr, Odin hired some enchantress to ensure that Fenrir would not require sustenance during his imprisonment.'_

Even Loki and Thor looked confused about that one. Clearly, whatever had happened with this Tyr guy had not been made public knowledge. Tony was getting less and less surprised each time there turned out to be some secret hidden away by the All Father. Sleipnir seemed to notice their confusion, as he needed no prompting to expand upon his point.

_'Fenrir, taking after our uncle as he has, was none too pleased to find himself bound in chains. He took Tyr's hand as a price for Tyr's involvement in his binding. I'm sure I do not need to explain just how much this pleased Odin.'_

Loki seemed oddly smug over the knowledge that his youngest child had bitten off someone's hand.

"Well, Tyr always has thought a bit too much of himself. Perhaps this will teach him a lesson in humility."

The comment only made Steve turn a little green, but Tony laughed.

"I think this is taking 'biting the hand that feeds you' to a whole new level!"

He heard Clint snort from the back. It was good to know that they could still joke around with each other. That was one relationship that Tony really did not want to lose. As much as he and Clint fought like dogs and acted like five year olds, they really did get along rather well. It was just this business with Loki that seemed to be standing between them being able to make up from their last fight. Not that Tony regretted his decision to befriend Loki. He'd happily do it again in a heartbeat. It was just that he wanted to have Clint's friendship too…Natasha had really hit the nail on the head with the 'selfish' aspect of his evaluation after all.

It didn't take the group much longer to reach the mouth of a cave leading under the frozen surface. Loki conjured up a few balls of glowing green fire that bobbed merrily around their heads and lit their way. Tony found them endlessly fascinating and kept trying to tempt one close enough to examine it. Loki watched on with laughter in his eyes, though none spilled out onto his face.

"What in the name of Valor are you doing?"

Tony froze in the middle of attempting to catch one of the floating balls like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. He turned slowly to face Loki's raised eyebrow. With the faceplate of the Iron Man armor still down his sheepish smile was completely lost on the other.

"Uhh…nothing?"

The eyebrow just twitched up a bit higher and Loki remained silent. His judgment hung heavy in the air as though it actually had a physical weight. Tony swallowed nervously.

"I just wanted to check them out, okay? I mean, come on! Green fire? Floating? In a self-contained ball? Bruce!" He turned to his fellow scientist for back up. "Tell me you're not itching to figure this out, too!"

Bruce just sighed in the way that was all too characteristics of those who spent an elongated time in Tony's presence. Tony knew he had maybe a week left until Loki started doing it, too. Pepper and Rhodey were experts, though Happy still, amazingly, had yet to do it even once. He was the outlier in Tony's carefully charted data.

"Somehow, I don't think that trying to trap one of the balls between your hands is quite the best way to go about examining it. You have no idea if it could be harmful or not." He shot a quick, worried look at Loki. " _Is_ it harmful?"

It was clear, to Tony at least, that Loki was having to school his expression to one of bland disinterest.

"While I have implemented them as projectile weapons in the past, the magic used to create this particular spell is largely based upon the intent of the castor. No harm shall come from them unless my will for them changes. You and your companions are perfectly safe."

He held up one long-fingered hand and a fiery orb floated agreeably over to settle in his palm before he wordlessly passed it to Tony. Almost immediately, Tony sent the command to fold back both the helmet and the gloves. While the wind was blocked by the cave, it was still cold enough for him to feel an immediate difference. He marveled at the orb as the group proceeded further downward.

"There's no heat! But this is clearly fire. How can there not be any heat?"

Almost as if in response to his words, the orb began to heat up. It wasn't a drastic increase, but Tony still snatched his hands away from it with the lightning reflexes of one who had spent his entire life making things accidently, and on purpose, explode. The orb did little except bob slightly closer to nudge against the chest of the Iron Man armor. Cautiously, Tony raised his hands to cup it once again, this time enjoying the feel of the warmth. Beside him, Loki snickered. Tony was far too fascinated to be able to spend any attention on being annoyed.

"So the heat, that's controlled by intent, too?"

He switched his enthralled gaze from the orb to Loki, raking his eyes over the magic users form like he could discover his secrets just like that. Some distant part of his mind registered that Loki actually looked very at home when bathed in the ethereal green light of the orbs. Loki's tongue darted out to wet his lips before he responded.

"Indeed." His voice wavered oddly and he had to clear his throat a couple times before trying again. "The magic I used in the creation of these orbs was unrefined, an easier but less powerful form of magic. Every aspect of their creation is based on my will."

"Even the color?"

Tony's gaze had gone back to the orb during Loki's speech, watching the flames dance above his palm with rapt attention. He dimly registered Steve speaking with Thor, Natasha, and Clint about something in the background, but couldn't be bothered to pay attention. Bruce had moved a bit closer to watch the magical display and Sleipnir had kindly made room for him to join them.

A hand on his shoulder brought him to a halt in their walking, the rest of the group stopping almost immediately and turning their attention on the pair. Loki moved around behind Tony and trailed a hand down Tony's arm before letting it slide into place under the one holding the orb.

"Uh, what's going on here?"

Steve sounded nervous and more than a bit confused, but both of them ignored him. Even with the suit on, Tony knew that Loki was plastered all along his back. Loki's lips skimmed the edge of Tony's ear as he spoke softly to him.

"Now pay very close attention…"

Tony focused on the orb, but was surprised when a coolness started to spread through his hand from where Loki was touching his. It had an energy to it, though, an energy he could feel. It traveled through his hand before apparently moving on to the orb as its flames began to turn from green to the classic red, orange, and yellow. Tony's knees felt shaky from within the suit as Loki pulled away.

"Oh, my God…" His voice came out as nearly a rasp. "Do that again."

Loki chuckled.

"Perhaps once we have returned to your tower on Midgard. We have dallied enough for this trip."

The group resumed walking with him, even though the air hung heavy with great unease from everyone except perhaps Tony and the three Aesir. For his part, Tony all but bounced along at Loki's side, excited beyond belief at this new development.

"Oh, believe me, babe, the moment we get back we're going down to the lab so I can strip you down and tape electrodes to your chest to get a scan of whatever that delicious, delicious sensation was."

Clint made a noise from the back like he'd just stepped barefoot in dog poo at the same time Loki simply said, "Magic. It was magic."

"Alright, Stark, that's it. I am officially banning any and all talk about you and your weird kinks and I am _done,_ okay?"

Tony immediately spun around to walk backwards and wink at Clint.

"Oh, don't worry. We haven't even started talking about my kinks yet."

The archer threw up his hands in disgust and Tony laughed, his job done. He did notice Cap giving him a rather odd look though. Whatever. He had science to focus on, and apparently magic.

"So, Lokes, dearest, honey bunch, darling, _please_ tell me that's something I can learn how to do. Because I'll be honest with you, I have absolutely zero interest in learning how to wield magic, but that felt _unbelievable._ "

The edges of Loki's mouth were twitching with his efforts to hold back a grin.

"You present a most tempting offer, Stark. Truly, I don't think I have ever heard someone so passionately seek out tutelage before. But I am afraid I must deny you."

Tony pouted spectacularly, but was cracking up moments later, unable to hold it in. Loki smiled at him fondly. Their snark and commentary continued down with them as they continued to walk for another good half hour.

The room they stepped out into was huge, made entirely out of ice. It reminded Tony of something he might have seen in a fantasy painting for an ice dragon's lair. Fenrir took up a good portion of the room, despite being chained in a position where he was laying on the floor. Even without standing, the wolf was twice as tall as Tony, and three times as long without including his tail. His jet black fur looked sleek and shiny, much like Loki's hair, and he watched them with intelligent yellow eyes. A small whimper escaped him upon seeing Loki.

Unlike with Sleipnir, Loki did not rush toward the youngest of his brood. Curious, Tony glanced in his direction. Loki's face was the picture of devastation. Pale hands trembled even as the god pressed them tightly together. It set off instant alarm bells in Tony's head.

"You did not mention," Loki said in a strained voice, "that he was bound by Gleipnir."

Sleipnir shifted a bit before answering.

_'I did not believe you would come if I did.'_

Loki rounded on his eldest with fury quickly taking the place of his shock.

"And what would be the point?! This is _Gleipnir,_ not some parlor trick tacked on to a sturdy chain!" Just as fast as the anger had welled up, it faded, leaving Loki sagging in its absence. "I had _hope_ …"

Thor was looking no less grieved by this revelation and Tony was scrambling to thumb through all of the ancient legends he had read after Loki and Thor's first arrival on his planet. Damn the Norse for naming everything something obscure and hard to remember…

"Wait…you mean the chains that aren't supposed to break until Ragnarok?"

If everyone kept looking so shocked whenever he provided relevant information, Tony was going to start getting insulted.

"You are correct, Anthony…If we release my son, we will bring about ruin to the Nine Realms."

Sleipnir moved to Loki's side, pressing against him in a silent display of comfort. Thor, too, stepped closer to comfort his brother.

"Surely all is not lost, brother. We must simply find a solution."

As the others, too, gathered around Loki to provide comfort, even though stoic silence like Clint, Tony headed across the room to get a closer look at the chains that bound Fenrir. He was only about half-surprised when he glanced to the side to find that Natasha had followed him. She just shrugged and gave him a flat look.

"I just want to make sure you don't do something stupid."

"Like start the apocalypse?"

"Like start the apocalypse."

He grinned at her before going back to his examination, walking slowly around the giant wolf. Fenrir was watching them closely, wiggling around as best he could to keep them in sight. The chains that held him were attached to spikes that had been driven deep into the icy floor. Tony crouched down next to one for a closer examination.

"Hey, fluffybutt, if we let your out of here, you're not going to eat us, right? Cause I was totally digging the story about Tyr, but I don't think I could pull off the whole Captain Hook thing."

The giant wolf exhaled a huff of air that Tony really hoped was amusement. With a flick of his wrist, he re-engaged the glove for his right hand. Natasha's hand was instantly on his shoulder.

"What are you going?"

"Relax, Nat, not even _I'm_ reckless enough to purposely cause the apocalypse."

She rolled her eyes, but let him go.

"I really wish I could believe that, Stark, but some days I wonder."

Still, she didn't knock him out or try to stop him, so he was guessing this wasn't one of those days. Refocussing on his task, Tony reduced the power to his gloves to 12%. The beam that was fired wouldn't do much harm to anything but a small animal, but it had the heat to start melting the ice around the spike. Natasha snorted from behind him.

"That's so obvious I'm actually kind of upset."

He shot her a grin over his shoulder before turning back to his task.

"Can't be that obvious if it took a genius to figure it out. Besides, it's not like anyone else in this group was offering up any ideas."

Instead of answering, she knelt down beside him and began hacking away at the slowly melting ice with one of her knives. She scraped away chunks of ice as they came loose and pretty much doubled his time. It wasn't long before they were able to pull the first stake out of the ice completely. Both Natasha and Tony were grinning madly at each other, even the assassin caught up in the excitement of the moment.

"You wanna be the one to tell Loki the good news?"

"Oh, my dear, I thought you'd never ask…Hey, Reindeer Games!"

Steve and Thor were both glaring daggers at him when he popped back around Fenrir's side, the spike held purposefully behind his back. Thor, in particular, seemed offended by Tony's brash tone.

"Man of Iron, now is hardly the time for jokes and nonsense."

Tony shrugged, finally revealing the spike to the room at large.

"Fine, whatever. I just thought Loki might want to know I figured out a way to get Big Bad over here out without bringing about the end of the universe. No biggie."

He turned away, knowing he had them hook, line, and sinker, and started heading back around Fenrir to get started on the next spike. The footsteps that followed him were not hurried, but they carried enough weight behind them to send a momentary wave of panic through his system. He turned back just in time for Loki to stop a few paces away. Judging by the look in his eye, Tony was almost afraid he would be on the receiving end of some emotional display that the genius _definitely_ did not want to be a part of.

"Anthony."

"Ummm…"

"You seem to be constantly full of surprises. I was so blinded by my perceived hindrance that I was unable to see past it."

Loki's face and voice were both solemn, ratcheting Tony's discomfort with the situation up even higher. He laughed nervously in the face of Loki's intense stare. Something that looked suspiciously like gratitude was slipping its way in and that was something Tony did not deal well with.

"I'm a problem solver, pretty good at getting out of situations. Just ask Cap."

"Anthony," and Tony really wished Loki would stop saying his name in that breathy, 'you make up everything in the universe' kind of way because it was doing just awful things to his libido, "anything you wish to learn of magic, I will be glad to teach you."

The gravity of such an offer was not lost upon Tony. He realized that Loki guarded his magical secrets like a dragon might hoard its most precious treasures. Even when Tony had asked before, it was instantly recognized as a joke. Now, the gracious offer had Tony flinching backward a step and putting up his hands in the universal sign for 'stop'.

"Enough! Stop…doing that!" Loki looked just as shocked as Tony felt by the outburst. The genius took a deep breath to calm himself. "You don't owe me, for anything. You keep piling on all these things to try and pay me back for helping you out, but you don't need to! I don't want you teaching me magic out of some sense of obligation! I'm helping you because I said I would, and because it's what I want to do. So…just whip up a few more of those fiery orbs and crank up the heat, alright?"

Loki blinked a few times before seeming to settle back down and a small smile slipped across his face. He easily closed the distance between them to press his lips to Tony's forehead, much like his mother had done the other night. He felt the same tingling sensation as he did then when Loki pulled away.

"You are quite the singular creature, Anthony Edward Stark. We shall do things your way."

The god turned away, casting magic to create more orbs as he went and leaving a stunned Tony behind. Natasha sidled up beside him.

"What's the matter, Stark? Lover boy break you?"

Tony had to swallow twice before he could answer her, his voice sounding strangled even to his own ears.

"I, uh, I don't _get_ him."

Natasha just smiled at him like she knew something he didn't know.

"C'mon, let's get this finished up."

With Loki's orbs doing most of the work, it didn't take long for them to dig up the rest of the spikes. Loki had then proceeded to pull the chains away from his youngest son and all but bury himself in the wolf's fur. Fenrir rumbled happily in his chest before nudging his father away gently with his nose.

The air filled with the sound of snapping and tearing as Fenrir went through what looked like a rather painful transformation. He shrank into himself, defying all laws physics and the conservation of mass. His fur retreated off of his body and his snout seemed to retreat right back into his skull. By the time the transformation was completed, Tony would have felt comfortable calling the creature in front of them a werewolf.

His hind legs remained very much wolf-like, with paws and everything, but tight leather breaches encased his thighs and were slung low on his hips, allowing his tail to hang free. Fur covered his back, but left his abs and chest clear to show off his rippling muscles. His arms seemed human right up until the claws that replaced his fingernails. Two wolf ears jutted out of his head from beneath his long black hair. His golden eyes made for a very unsettling image when paired with his sharp teeth. He also stood at about six inches taller than Thor.

He let out a boisterous laugh while sweeping Loki up into a hug that lifted Loki right off the ground. If there was ever a fusion of Loki, Thor, and a wolf, this was exactly what Tony would imagine it to look like. The man (demi-god?) was monstrous in height alone without even having to count his rippling muscles.

"It is good to see you, Father! And Uncle! Brother! A joyous day, indeed!"

Loki touched down from being released like a ballerina coming down from a lift. Tony was pretty sure he himself would not have been half so graceful after getting the life squeezed out of him. Loki was beaming like he'd just been given the sun and moon, though, and the genius was definitely counting that as a win.

"It is good to see you as well, son. And rest assured that I will not allow you to be locked away in chains ever again. Sleipnir has joined me on Midgard and I have plans to get back both Jor and Hela. Will you join us?"

Fenrir laughed again and slapped Loki heartily on the back.

"As if there were any place I would rather be! Now, introduce me to this clever little rabbit who figured out my cage!"

He turned his attention onto Tony, who stuck his hand out on reflex that was born from many a business interaction. He plastered on his best smile.

"Tony Stark; genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

His hand went entirely ignored as Fenrir swept him up in a hug as well.

"And I am Fenrir, son of Loki! You have my deepest thanks for my release!"

Tony was pretty sure he could hear the armor creaking in Fenrir's hold.

"That's great buddy, but I like to keep my feet on the ground, if it's all the same to you."

There was more laughter as Fenrir set him down, but he kept one arm around Tony's shoulder as the others were introduced and he ruffled Tony's hair twice before they made it back out of the cave. Tony had taken to ducking down and trying his damndest to keep Loki between them. Fenrir seemed not to notice his avoidance in the slightest.

It wasn't until they reached the mouth of the cave that they encountered their first real problem. About twenty blue, humanoid creatures stood outside the entrance. They towered at a height even taller than Fenrir's and bore expressions just as cold as the landscape around them. These, Tony assumed, could only be Frost Giants. That thought did not make him very optimistic about where events were going. One of the giants stepped forward and gestured angrily at the group before saying something in a language Tony didn't understand…It didn't sound friendly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So, um, yes. This plot has run away with me again. I know that the chapters settings currently states that this fic will be 12 chapters long, but I am going to go ahead and change that to 16. This is a rough estimate. If things proceed as they have been, it may take even more than that to wrap this story up. Apologies.


	8. New Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and the group must face off against the Jotunar...whether peacefully or in a fight.

The Frost Giant representative repeated his harsh words when no one responded. Tony glanced nervously at Loki, who was glaring heatedly at the other group. The two Aesir princes exchanged a quick look before Thor nodded in deference to his younger sibling.

"We did not come seeking battle. We shall leave in peace, if you so allow it."

Tony was pretty sure Loki didn't actually believe they were going to go for that. At least the team had already had the revelation about All-Speak with Thor so it wasn't completely confusing as to why they could still understand Loki but not the Frost Giant. Not that they needed to when his tone remained so hostile. Tony spotted the way Thor's jaw visibly clenched at whatever had been said. Loki, too, stiffened beside him.

"No. Fenrir comes with us. Any attempt to stop him will lead to an end of our peace."

"You speak of peace, Loki Scar-Lip, yet you stand with Fenrir, his release physical proof that you have brought Ragnarok down upon us."

Tony was surprised to hear a reply he could actually understand and his eyes zeroed in on the Frost Giant moving forward through the crowd. She was female, he noted though he would not have been able to tell by her voice, and was covered by little more than a breastplate and a loincloth, a bit of fur decorating her shoulders. Still, she walked with the air of someone accustomed to being listened to.

"You will find that the chains that bound him are still quite intact. Not even I would be selfish enough to bring about the end of the Nine Realms just to get back what was taken from me…It would give me very little time to enjoy my reunion."

She dipped her head to one side in acknowledgement and motioned for two of the other troops to move forward, though her words were still directed at Loki.

"You will forgive me if I choose to corroborate your story rather than taking your word for it."

Loki's head bobbed in return.

"It would only be natural."

The two soldiers moved past them with barely a sideways glance, even when Fenrir sent a threatening growl their way. The female Jotun watched them go before turning back to Loki.

"You are looking well. I hear you have been spending your days on Midgard."

Loki looked as though he had been sucking a lemon.

"Not that it is any business of yours."

"Why, I think it is quite my business what the father of my children is getting up to."

Loki grit his teeth with the effort of holding back whatever it was he wanted to say. Tony's gaze darted, wide eyed, between the two. Only a few feet away, Thor was scowling at the woman with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Oh," the genius realized aloud. "So you're Angrboda, then."

Her blood red eyes instantly snapped to bore into Tony's.

"A mortal who knows my name in this day and age…how very interesting." Her gaze switched back to Loki. "A friend of yours, I assume?"

"Actually, he threw me out of a window once. It's okay. I flew a nuke through his portal."

One of Angrboda's eyebrows lifted in an expression that was much more familiar on Loki's face. Tony didn't like the comparison. A smile twitched her lips.

"This sounds like a tale that would be quite entertaining to hear. Won't you regale us, mortal?"

Tony was pretty sure she couldn't have sounded more condescending if she'd tried.

"Hmm…you know, actually, I think I won't."

He couldn't help but grin at the sheer surprise on her face. Apparently she wasn't used to being said no to. Loki was certainly looking smug over the matter, quite in contrast to the way Steve was looking at the sky like he was praying to God for strength. Well, fuck it. It's not like anyone called on Tony for his stellar skills in diplomacy.

"The little rabbit has teeth!" Fenrir laughed. "You should watch him, mother, lest you wish to be caught unawares."

She dipped her head in her son's direction, but did not look at him. Her gaze instead remained on Tony as she slowly strode forward until she quite literally towered over him. The suit gave him some added height, but she still had a good three feet on him. She would have towered over any of them with the exception of Fenrir.

"He has a spine, that's for sure. Did Loki-dear tell you about me? Is that how you know my name?"

Tony fought back the urge to bear his teeth at her. Maybe Fenrir was a bad influence.

"Not at all. Loki hasn't said a word about you the entire time I've known him. Apparently you weren't worth the mention…"

Her smile didn't show a hint of niceness. Out of the corner of his eye, Tony noticed Loki shuffle closer.

"Angrboda…"

She waved him off.

"Now, now, Dear. I'm not going to _hurt_ him." She stepped around Tony, circling him like a predator. "At least, not _much._ "

"Yes, and I'm sure he finds that so comforting. Unfortunately, I'm afraid hurting me at all is just…not going to end well. For anyone. Mostly you."

"Oh? And what makes you so sure? Those little _charms_? My magic is known throughout the Nine Realms. They would do little to stand in my way."

"What charms?"

Suddenly, her face lit up with glee, her grin full of teeth.

"Oh, you don't _know!_ That's precious! Why, Loki, did you not think they were worth mentioning either? Surely, you can sense them, too."

Loki looked less than pleased.

"Whether this is a trick or a way to rub it in my face that you are _still_ more sensitive to magic than I am, I suggest you quit playing games. You will find that I am not at all in the mood."

She huffed a laugh and leaned down a bit to stage whisper in Tony's ear, the sound carrying just fine to the rest of the group.

"Always so serious that one, have you noticed? It's one of the reasons we didn't work out."

"That and the fact that you were lying to me through our entire relationship, you dishonest wretch!" Loki growled. "Now step. Away. From Stark."

She laughed as she did as she was told.

"So possessive, too. And I didn't _lie_ to you, Dear. I merely omitted a few details."

"Such as the fact that you were of Jotunheim. I have to applaud you for holding onto your illusion of being an elf even through the pain of childbirth."

"Hmmm…It _was_ rather a test of my skills, I'll admit that. Now, let's get back on subject, shall we? Back to those charms. Stark, was it? Has anyone been touching you lately, even just casually? Left a bit of a numbing sensation behind? Perhaps a tingle?"

Tony kept his lips pressed tightly together, even as the kiss Loki had placed on his forehead less than an hour before flitted through his mind. Angrboda laughed again in the face of his silence.

"Oh, worry not, mortal. They are simply charms of protection, nothing more. Baubles, really. Now, do tell me who cast them on you. I am _dying_ to know what connections a Midgardian could have possibly made within the magical community. I can tell you've figured it out."

It was like she knew every single button to press in order to get his hackles raised.

"Queen Frigga, of Asgard. How does that suit your curiosity?"

And, really, it wasn't like he was lying, either. Frigga _had,_ apparently, cast the first of the spells. Still, Tony would be sitting down with Loki to have a chat once they got back to the tower. The female Jotun wrinkled her nose at the name.

"Frigga, you say? She never did approve of me."

Tony couldn't help but roll his eyes, unable to stop a smile from breaking out when he heard Clint mutter none-too-quietly, "Small wonder _why_."

At this point, the two soldiers that had been dispatched earlier made their timely reappearance. They all by scrambled out of the cave in their haste, babbling in the foreign tongue of Jotunheim. Angrboda's face remained utterly impassive as she listened to them.

"So you spoke the truth, then. However did you manage to remove the chains without breaking them?"

Loki smirked and drew himself up to his full height.

"That was Stark's doing, actually. You see, it's quite amazing the things that can happen when you stop underestimating those _mere mortals._ "

"Yes, well, unfortunately, we're still going to have to take you all into custody. Surely you understand, don't you? You tried to destroy our world, Dear, and both you and your companions have readily admitted to committing yet another crime against Asgard by releasing Fenrir. What sort of neighbors would we be if we didn't stop you?"

Tony had barely enough time to swear before the entire group of Jotunar was charging forward. Loki immediately sent a bolt of magic at Angrboda, claiming her for himself as an opponent. Tony couldn't really blame the guy. He was rather busy on his own facing three Frost Giants. A repulsor blast to the chest sent the one in the center flying backwards.

He dimly took note of the fact that Thor and Fenrir were both having a rather enthusiastic time of smashing their opponents as Tony was tackled to the ground. At least Sleipnir seemed to be shepparding Bruce back into the mouth of the cave and away from the action. With any luck, they wouldn't need Mean 'n Green to come out to play, though the Hulk would probably think it was great fun.

Tony wiggled around in this captor's grasp before popping his shoulder plating up to shoot a missile right into the bastard's ugly mug. He let go pretty quick after that. The next one watched Tony warily as ice gathered around the Jotun's arm to form a sword. He grunted something out that, once again, Tony had no hope of understanding.

"Hey, Ice, Ice, Baby, you wanna repeat that? Maybe try saying it louder and slower. I've heard that helps."

The Jotun just roared and swung at him with the blade, apparently not amused. Tony fired up a repulsor to jet to the side in time to avoid most of the blow, but he still felt the blade slice through some metal and circuitry. Right. Best to avoid the ridiculously sharp ice blades. Got it. It just sucked that, without JARVIS, Tony was a bit slower on the commands.

His next repulsor missed its intended target but managed to hit one of the Frost Giants ganging up on Natasha. Tony still counted it as a win. Hoping to put a bit of distance between himself and his opponent, Tony fired up his repulsors and shot into the air. The Jotun he was facing gave another roar of outrage and took a running leap after him, just barely managing to wrap a hand around his ankle.

The unexpected weight sent Tony spinning out of control and they both collided painfully with the side of the giant ice formation the cave had been hidden beneath. The ice cracked on impact but, thankfully, nothing started collapsing. Tony and his Jotun companion tumbled down the side for yet another painful introduction to the ground. As the genius drug himself back to his feet, Tony swept the battle for his team. Bruce and Sleipnir had retreated out of sight, but now it seemed Natasha and Clint were missing, too.

A heavy weight slamming into his skull kept Tony from dwelling on it too long. He was knocked off his feet once again and found himself in the snow, staring up at the Frost Giant who had just tried bashing his helmet in. Bringing both hands up in front of him, Tony fired off his repulsors point blank into the guy's chest. He probably wasn't going to be getting up again.

Looking around, it seemed that both Fenrir and Thor had managed to dispel their opponents with relative ease. Tony felt a momentary flash of jealousy for their ridiculous musculature. Steve must have finished off his own adversaries and headed into the cave to check on the others. It seemed only Loki and Angrboda were left doing battle. The rest of the soldiers lay scattered about the snow in various stages of hurt and consciousness.

The two magic users didn't seem to be pulling any punches. Loki was showing off his earlier mentioned technique of turning his fireballs into projectiles while weaving what looked like more complicated and dangerous spells in between. Angrboda would get so focused on avoiding the fire that she would be left vulnerable to his attacks.

Not that Loki had the clear upper hand. For all that he was the God of Mischief the female Jotun seemed to be keeping up with Loki just fine when it came to throwing out tricks. She seemed to particularly enjoy melting the snow beneath his feet to throw off his balance before attacking with a mixture of magic and melee fighting. Tony was just about to step in when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. Thor drew him away from the fighting and pushed him toward Fenrir.

"Go. Meet with Sleipnir in the cave. I will assist my brother in finishing this and we will join you shortly."

Before Tony even had the chance to protest, Fenrir was steering him back beneath the Earth. It was probably due to him looking back over his shoulder that Tony did not immediately notice the cave appeared completely empty. The mortal frowned.

"Where did the others go-"

_'I took them back to Midgard already, to your tower. I thought it best to remove ourselves from this situation as quickly as possible. Now come.'_

Sleipnir appeared not far away as if by magic, which Tony figured it actually was anyway. He looked tired, but neither Tony nor Fenrir said anything as they moved forward to stand on either side of the stallion and intertwine their fingers in his mane. Tony squeezed his eyes shut just like he had on the way to Jotunheim and smothered his nausea at the gut-wrenching sensation that came with traveling between realms in the span of a heartbeat.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in the common area of the tower. Clint was already sprawled across one of the sofas while Natasha and Bruce seemed to be making tea from what he could see of the kitchen. Steve hovered behind the couch like a worried mother hen. As soon as Fenrir and Tony released his mane, Sleipnir retreated to the Jotunheim once again.

"Everybody okay?"

"There don't seem to be any injuries so far," Steve said, eying Tony up and down. "It looks like the suit is damaged, though. Are you alright?"

Tony shrugged it off, heading toward the balcony where JARVIS would be able to more easily remove the armor.

"Mostly surface damage, a little bit of circuitry. Nothing a couple hours in the shop won't fix."

By the time he got back inside, the remaining three members of their party had returned. Sleipnir lay on the floor in front of the couch, head resting near Clint's stomach while Loki knelt beside him. He was rubbing the side of his eldest son's neck soothingly.

"He's just overworked, is all," he was telling a distressed Steve as Tony approached. "Traveling between realms so far from an access point and so often is extremely exhausting, especially when transporting others. He will need to rest, but he will be fine."

Tony dropped ungracefully into a vacant armchair, legs flopped over one side.

"Well, I'll admit, I think that actually went better than expected."

Clint snorted from his place on the couch, eyes closed and head tilted back.

"We got attacked by Loki's crazy baby mama and a bunch of her friends after nearly freezing our balls off and it went _better_ that you expected?"

Bruce and Natasha returned to the room burdened with trays of coffee and tea. Tony made grabby hands at his Science Bro immediately.

"Well, sure. No one got hurt and we got Fenrir back so, hey, I'd call that a success."

Bruce passed him a mug of coffee with a fond smile and an eye roll. He, perhaps more than any of the others, was well acquainted with Tony's addiction to caffeine. Tony purred his satisfaction as he cradled the mug lovingly.

"So what now? We've still got two more kids to go, right?" Steve asked.

"Right. Hela and Jormawhateverthefuck."

Loki glared at Clint.

"Jormungandr."

"Right. Yeah. That."

Tony swung his feet around until he could sit up straight, kicking off his shoes to rub his toes in the carpet.

"Mmm, yeah. I had a question about that, actually. He's the Midgardian Serpent, right? Shouldn't he, like, be here?"

"He once was; it is true. There were years when he spent much of his time here on Midgard. But he was taken elsewhere for his banishment."

_'Alfheim. It is the easiest realm to access from the waters of your world…and it is the location of Fafnir's hoard.'_

"Fafnir?" Tony frowned. "Okay, so that's a name I don't know."

"Legend says he was once a man, poisoned by cursed gold and greed until his outside matched his inside. He is a dragon of great renown."

"And what does he have to do with Jormungandr?"

_'Fafnir is extremely powerful. It is said there is no magic that can ensnare him and no weapon that can kill him. He was chosen as the guardian of Jormungandr's prison, which is encased in gold.'_

"So we'll have to sneak in." Natasha said, perching on the edge of Tony's armrest.

"Nay, shield sister, Fafnir never leaves his treasure. I fear there is none here who could get past his defenses."

"Then we fight our way in!" Fenrir howled, clearly pleased by the idea. "It will be a glorious battle!"

Tony snorted, rising to his feet and crossing the room toward the kitchen. He needed a refill.

"Right, a glorious battle. Maybe for Fafnir. _We,_ on the other hand, would just end up dead. Fafnir's an ages-old dragon sitting on a hoard of gold. How exactly do you think he got that hoard? I'm gonna guess it wasn't by asking nicely."

"Well," Loki smirked, "we could always try my method."

Thor groaned.


	9. Talk, Talk, Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, not much gets done here.

"So, we need to talk."

Loki raised an eyebrow at Tony's words and settled back against one of his worktables. The team had decided to take a couple hours to refresh before heading off after Jormungandr and Tony had immediately announced that he was dragging Loki off to his lab to scan his magic. He was pretty sure Natasha suspected something, but she'd let them go without question.

"About what, precisely?"

The god appeared calm and collected, but Tony could see how tense his spine had become, how he crossed his arms protectively over his chest.

"Oh, I don't know…maybe about the fact that you've been casting spells on me without my knowledge?"

Loki raised his chin haughtily, clearly unwilling to be cowed. The edges of his mouth pinched tight in a sour expression.

"It was not as though it would harm you. You would never have had to know if it weren't for Angrboda's infuriating meddling."

"That's not the point!" Tony snapped, suddenly furious. "You can't just go casting things on me whenever you damn well please! I don't give a shit if this is apparently some common thing on Asgard, you need to fucking ask me first!"

Loki snarled in the face of his anger, pushing himself off of the workbench to tower over Tony the way his ex-lover had before.

"Do not presume to command me, Stark. I owe you a great debt, but I will never again place myself under another's thumb."

"Are you fucking kidding me? That's just about the farthest thing from my mind, dumbass! Like Hell I want to fucking command you! I just want to know what's being done to my God damned body!"

As soon as Loki opened his mouth to retort back, Tony held up one hand in the universal sign for 'stop.' He squeezed his eyes shut and took a few deep breaths to regain control before speaking again.

"Look, Lokes, I trust you with my life, okay? I get that you're not gonna spell me with something that's gonna hurt me…I just need to know. Beforehand." He rubbed at the arc reactor in his chest, suddenly feeling its weight more than usual. "The last time I went through a medical procedure I didn't expressly approve, I woke up with a car battery in my chest. I get that magic isn't quite the same and I'm not afraid of your hurting me, I just…I mean, it-"

"It's alright." Loki spoke softly, gaze gentle. "I apologize for not informing you of my plan. You are so resistant to accepting any form of my gratitude that I figured you would refuse me if I asked."

Tony shrugged, stepping to the side to sink into his desk chair. He suddenly felt exhausted.

"I probably would have." He huffed a bit of a laugh. "So, a protection charm, huh?"

"Not a very strong one. It was unplanned and without an accompanying incantation or ritual, there wasn't a lot I could do."

"Yeah? So what does it protect me from?"

Tony wasn't even going to try to hide his interest. He was curious. So sue him.

"It is a deflection spell. Blows meant to fell you will have a way of not quite finding their mark. A blow that would have been glancing will miss completely. A blow that would have been solid will become glancing. It is often a thin line between a fatal wound and simply a severe one. It is that line that this spell is meant to skirt."

"And the one your mom cast on me?"

"I don't know. As much as it riles me to admit, Angrboda is far more sensitive to the seidr around her, while I am more in tune with the eidr. I did not even know she had cast it."

Tony spun his chair in a slow circle, leaning back and frowning.

"Thor used those terms before. What do they mean?"

"Seidr and eidr? They are types of magic. Eidr is natural, raw magic. It is in all living things and ties them back to Yggdrasil. Seidr is what eidr becomes once it has been controlled. This refined magic is what spells are then crafted out of, even the ones that are ingrained into our bodies, such as my ability to heal faster than you."

Tony hummed in acknowledgement while he mulled that over.

"So then Seidr is just any form of magic that can be tracked by its effect, right? Even if it's not a conscious control, it still falls into the category of being refined."

"Precisely. Seidr is magic that has a purpose. Eidr remains dormant within a soul sometimes even long after the death of their physical form. If the soul is claimed by my daughter, for example, the eidr would not activate to guide it back to the World Tree."

"How does it know the difference?"

"It is not something anyone has been able to discover. I can sense eidr, hear the hum of it beneath everything else, but I do not pretend to understand it. No one does."

Tony wrinkled his nose at the thought. The familiar itch of scientific compulsion crawled beneath his skin.

"Right, yeah. So, those scans. Bruce'll want to hear about what I've managed to find out so far so we should really have something to show him."

Loki smirked knowingly at the inventor.

"Of course, Mr. Stark. Where would you like to start?"

It was Steve who showed up to fetch them out of the lab when it came time to meet the others. He smiled sheepishly in the face of Loki's arched brow and imperious stare.

"Tony has a way of losing track of time when science is involved. I just wanted to make sure we stayed on schedule."

"We are off to retrieve my child, Captain. I doubt even Anthony could distract me so much that I would forget it."

Tony's head popped up from behind his screens like a dog hearing the rattle of the Milkbone box.

"Is that a challenge? That sounded like a challenge."

Steve sighed and crossed the room to sheppard Tony out of his chair and away from his screens.

"It wasn't a challenge, Tony. Now please tell me that you've spent some of the time down here repairing your suit."

"Nah." Tony paused just for the sake of teasing Steve a bit more. "I figured I'd wear one of my backups."

He felt a distinct sense of pride at the groan that came from the super soldier. Loki, chuckling slightly, followed them out of the lab and into the elevator.

"It is a small wonder we get along so well, Anthony, if this is the kind of distress you cause on a regular basis."

"Is that judgment I hear in your voice?" Tony asked accusingly. "Because, you know, as the literal God of Mischief, you have no right to judge."

"Quite to the contrary. My expertise in the area gives my every right to judge," came Loki's lofty reply.

"You know," Steve cut in, "I'm honestly wondering what I did in a past life that I have to deal with the two of you now."

"Something awesome, clearly."

"Indeed, Captain. It seems the Norns were quite taken with you to have gifted you with the presence of both of us."

Tony wasn't sure he'd ever seen Steve look so relieved as he did when the elevator doors slid open. The rest of the team was already gathered in the living room of the tower, ready to head up to the Quinjet. When it had just been Tony and Cap accompanying him to Asgard, Loki had been able to teleport them to the sight of Yggdrasil's branches. But now there were just too many people for that option. He had assured them that the path from Midgard to Alfheim would accommodate their Quinjet, anyway. Sleipnir was much too tired to transport them between worlds again and would be staying behind.

Loki headed straight for Clint while Tony bounced toward Bruce, still enough on a science high to want to discuss it. He dimly registered Loki and Clint discussing flight patterns in the background. Clint sounded disgruntled, but since he would be the pilot he was stuck getting the directions or whatever. Tony didn't really care. He was focused on SCIENCE!

"Brucie, Brucie, Brucie, you have got to take a look at these scans I took of Loki. Dude. My physics mind was blown."

Bruce snorted as they made their way outside.

"Really? Your physics mind?"

"Well, yeah, my chemistry mind wasn't overly affected," he retorted a bit sourly at his Science Bro's lack of enthusiasm. "C'mon, Bruce, you know you're dying to get elbow deep in this thing. You've got the same drive I do."

There was much eye rolling from the Hulk's alter ego at that statement.

"Tony, nobody has the same drive you do. We can't even hope to keep up."

"So you don't want to see them?"

"Are you kidding? I'll be in your lab the second we get back."

Tony grinned.

"Now that's more like it." He slung an arm around his companion's shoulders. "I was thinking we could order pizza. Or Chinese. Possibly both. Anyway, I'm talking about a Science Marathon, buddy. You, me, Loki, and some sweet, sweet love from our Lady Science."

"You do realize, of course, how wrong that sounds?"

"I'm hurt, Bruce. Truly, I am. Have you not figured out by now that 'wrong' is practically my specialty?"

"I thought your specialty was being flashy."

"That, too. It's a dual major."

Once they were settled in the Quinjet, Loki rejoined them. He sank into the seat beside Tony with little comment, but the genius still turned to him immediately.

"You not sticking with Barton for the rest of the flight?"

Loki was leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed, actually looking a bit tired.

"I found his constant doubt and suspicion rather grating. I have left him with a clone to guide him through the trip. We will get where we need to go."

Tony blinked in surprise.

"Are you sure you want to use that much magic before heading off to confront Fafnir?" Loki rolled his head to the side to give Tony a one-eyed look. "Right. Of course you're sure. Sorry."

The god sighed and settled back into his previous position.

"As I told your team before, I do not intend to have need for spell nor weapon. If the confrontation reaches that point, we will be unlikely to survive, anyway."

"Well aren't you just a ball of sunshine."

"I do my best."

Tony turned back to his other side when he heard Bruce cough awkwardly. The other scientist was avoiding eye contact as he stood.

"I'm gonna go…check on Steve."

It was obviously just an excuse, and Tony instantly went on high alert. He reached out automatically to grab his friend's wrist as he moved away.

"Bruce?"

The scientist sighed before turning back.

"I'm fine, Tony, just…It's all fine, okay?"

Tony let him go, but that didn't settle the discomfort that had entered his veins. He and Bruce had been getting along fine, hadn't they? What had changed? Tony knew he wasn't exactly the best at reading human behavior, but surely he would have noticed something that would drive Bruce away…

"It is your interaction with me, no doubt." Loki's eyes were open again, following Bruce as he moved across the Quinjet. "It bothers him, even though he does not want it to."

Tony stared at Loki for a long moment before turning back to watch Bruce. He could understand it, he supposed. Loki had been trying to take over the world upon his first arrival. It wasn't exactly a great way to go about making friends.

"Why did you do it? Invade Earth that first time?"

Tony hadn't meant to actually say it and it came out so softly that he would have thought Loki missed it if it weren't for the way the god's entire body stiffened.

"Anthony."

It was a warning, but Tony had never been very good at listening to those.

"I've just been thinking about it, you know? And it doesn't make any sense. It doesn't match up to any of your other behavior and that tells me there was a reason behind it. Why did you do it?"

"Because it was necessary." It wasn't biting, as Tony would have expected, but instead had a desperate edge to the softness of the god's tone. "I wish to speak no more of it."

The genius pressed his lips tightly together and gave a jerky nod in response. They fell in to a silence that wasn't quite comfortable, but didn't feel horrible awkward either. There was anger, from Loki, at Tony ever having brought the subject up, but there was also gratitude that he did not pursue the subject any further.

"So, this path to Alfheim," Tony finally said when he could take the quiet no longer, "how exactly is it going to work? I mean, I get that there's water involved and, you know, flying under it. At least that's what I assumed."

Loki smirked and cut him off before he could get started on really rambling.

"You are correct, Stark. Your teammate Barton must simply fly this craft through the crevice between the realms. It is one of the largest that I have encountered, I must admit. The one that leads between Asgard and Svartalfheim would shred this vessel with the ease of a razor sharp blade."

He glanced around the quinjet as if imagining its destruction. Tony didn't want to go down that path of mental imagery.

"But we'll fit through this one just fine?"

"Oh, quite. And the water will be much less of an obstacle to get through than the passage to Muspelheim. I have not traversed it myself, but I hear it is encased in molten stone."

"Sounds like fun."

Loki snorted.

"You would think so. I suppose you should think it a great challenge to pit such an obstacle against your precious suits."

"Hmmm…" Tony considered, "I haven't actually dealt with lava before."

He would have to reinforce the exoskeleton of the suit, certainly, and add a more advanced cooling system to regulate the temperature on the inside. A proper insolation system would be a simple thing. His suits were already equipped with one, to a lesser degree. He could have it upgraded in less than a day.

The lava itself, though, that was another issue entirely. The icing he had encountered shortly after creating the suit, the thing that had been Obie's downfall , could be removed by a few shifting plates to break it up as soon as it formed. Lava would coat as a liquid, and much thicker than the ice than been. Perhaps if he used some application of liquid nitrogen to flash freeze the lava and make it brittle…A chuckle pulled him from his thoughts.

"I have lost you again."

"Huh?"

"In your thoughts. You often tune out the world around you when you are lost in them." Loki sounded amused. "You do realize I did not mean that as an actual challenge, yes?"

Tony grinned at him.

"That doesn't mean I can't take it as one."

"I swear, Anthony, you are as bad as Thor sometimes."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"A compliment?" Loki looked aghast, but was clearly exaggerating it. "I verbally berate and insult him on a regular basis and you're going to take that as a compliment? You mortals…I will never understand how you work."

"Oh, don't even try it with that high and mighty attitude of yours. You like it here on Earth, with us mortals. You think its fun."

"Only because the lot of you are always running around with utterly no clue as to what you're doing. Nothing but utter chaos."

"So you are admitting you like us," Tony wedeled.

Loki's smile was demure as he uttered a soft, "Perhaps."

Tony still counted it as a win. Across the quinjet, Thor and Fenrir seemed to be exchanging battle stories with increasing enthusiasm. For not being at all related by blood, the two were startlingly similar. No wonder Loki had never doubted his heritage if this was his offspring.

"I know you don't really hate him, by the way."

It looked for a moment like Loki was about to play dumb, but he apparently decided better of it.

"Hate is perhaps a bit of a strong word."

"He loves you, for sure. That's a hard thing to turn away again and again. I don't think the whole adoption thing bothers him much, if that helps."

Loki sighed.

"There is much history between us. It is more than just the fact that we are not brothers by blood. Thor looks back and sees only the glory of battles we fought and victory over foes we faced together. I see a much darker past, one where I faded into the background until I was of use. If I was not speaking in his favor, there were times Thor was as quick to turn on me as any other."

Tony nodded again, staying silent for a long moment.

"Look, I know I'm not exactly the poster child for emotional health, but maybe you should, you know, talk to him about it. He said he had some pretty messed up views on things before he got banished and was shown the error of his ways. Maybe it would help."

Loki's snort did not sound amused.

"Oh, yes. Talking. With Thor. Sounds like an excellent idea."

"Hey, hey! No need to bite my head off!" Tony held up his hands placatingly. "I'm not saying you should pour your heart out to the guy, but maybe he's not as bad as you think." He smirked and nudged Loki with his shoulder. "You didn't turn out to be quite as bad as I thought."

Tony could see the god's humor returning as Loki slid him a sideways glance.

"And you turned out far worse."

"Don't worry. I'll take that as a compliment, too."

"Of course you will…"

Tony grinned at him and was just opening his mouth to retort when a powerful impact shook the entire quinjet. The genius was nearly thrown out of his seat except for Loki holding him in place. His head snapped up to stare in the direction of the cockpit.

"What the Hell was that?"

"I imagine," and damn Loki for not sounding even the least bit ruffled, "it was us entering the water."

"Already?"

Now that they were speaking at a normal volume again, Steve apparently deemed it acceptable to enter their conversation.

"I may have helped us along in the interest of not being trapped with the lot of you for an extended period of time in such a small space. My tolerance only stretches so far, you understand."

Tony snorted and rolled his eyes.

"So where are we, then? In Earth terms."

Loki's smile promised an answer Tony knew he wasn't going to like.

"What you might refer to as the Bermuda Triangle. Lovely area, really, as long as you don't get sucked into any of the doorways to empty space."


	10. Dragon Tales and Silver Tongues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki must match wits with Fafnir, the great dragon, and hope that his skill with words will be enough to get them through this alive. Unfortunately, Clint isn't being very helpful.

To be honest, Tony had been expecting more out of Alfheim. It seemed disappointingly…normal. Clint and put them down near the ocean and they'd piled out of the quinjet before following Loki into a mountain range. Unlike Asgard with its gleaming golden city and Jotunheim's barren wasteland, Tony felt like he could be in a rather exotic location of Earth. South America seemed most likely. Loki nodded in thought when Tony voiced as much.

"There are many similarities between the realms. Both Alfheim and Vanaheim would be those that most closely resemble regions of Midgard. I must admit, your realm offers a more diverse landscape than any other I have yet encountered."

"Score one for Team Earth, then!" Tony smirked.

"I suppose it could be counted as such. Your diversity goes quite a ways in making up for the utter lack of competence your species has displayed thus far."

Considering the way Loki chuckled and danced away from Tony's swatting hand, the jibe was meant purely for amusement. Clint, however, gave a rather undignified groan in the face of their actions.

"Oh. My. _God._ Are you two five?! Can we not do without this whole kindergarten drama thing?!"

Tony stuck his tongue out at the archer.

"You're just jealous."

"Of what? You cozying up to the God of Lies? No thank you. Not my type."

Tony just lifted his chin and strutted on like Clint wasn't worth an ounce of his time. It was a move he'd practiced plenty of times for the paparazzi.

"Shows what you know. Loki's the God of Fire and Mischief, chicken butt. Possibly chaos. That one's a little unclear. No lies involved."

He winked at Loki's startled expression and grinned at Clint's retching noises.

"Enough," Steve cut them off. "We're here for a reason and if Fafnir really is as dangerous as you claimed, Loki, then I don't want to be dealing with any unnecessary distractions."

"Of course, Captain. Your merry little band shall make it home safe and sound as long as everything goes to plan."

"Then let's hope it does. How much longer do we have to travel?"

"It shouldn't take us too long. I have not ever visited Fafnir's hoard before, for obvious reasons, but I doubt very much he will be implementing much subtlety."

True to Loki's expectations, it took them less than an hour to find the entrance that was carved into the side of the mountain. The opening stood at least two stories tall and was flanked by solid gold statues of warriors. The path inside was barely more than twenty steps down a torch-lit corridor before it opened up into a wide expanse, larger even than the cavern Fenrir had been imprisoned in. Gold, gems, and countless priceless items were piled around like tiny mountains on their own. It was almost breathtaking enough to miss the grotesque creature that sat atop them.

It was as large as three city busses lined up end to end, its scales a putrid green color. The hide around its mouth and eyes reminded Tony of pond scum and it certainly didn't look anything like a dragon he would have imagined. Its snout looked squashed up against the rest of its face, like a pug's, there were no identifiable wings on its body. Still, its huge tail trailed back and forth behind it as it stared down at them lazily. This was Fafnir.

"If this is a foolish attempt to take my treasure, I do hope you at least brought something valuable for me to add to the collection once I have killed you all."

His voice was a rumbled drawl, pitched deep enough to make any movie trailer guy jealous. Loki stepped up to the front of the group and swept into a low bow.

"Great Fafnir, be appeased that we would not be so foolish as to attempt such a doomed endeavor."

The dragon snorted, the hot air enough to knock them all back a step. Tony blinked furiously to clear his watering eyes. That was definitely an unpleasant reminder of Afghanistan…

"And be appeased that I am not so foolish to believe you came here with no purpose, Son of Asgard. State your business so we may be done with this tedious affair and know that your lives depend on my receiving it."

Well, gee…Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning…But Tony knew better than to voice his thoughts. They had all agreed to let Loki handle this one without interference. The only one among them who came close to being able to manipulate others as well as Loki could was Natasha, and she lacked just a bit of relevant knowledge to handle this.

"Of course not, forgive me. I did not intend to imply as much. It is true we have come for a reason. You possess something that cannot be found on any realm or in any collection that is not this very one, Jormungandr and his cage."

"Ah…" The great beast shifted a bit, cascades of treasure tumbling down the sides of their piles. "You have come to reclaim your son, yet I have received no word from Odin that the serpent's punishment has been lifted."

"And it has not been, I shall admit."

"So you come against the orders of your king? Your own father?" Tony saw the way Loki's jaw clenched and the muscles spasmed from his efforts to bite back a denial that Odin held any kinship to him. "Why tell me this? Would it not be easier attempt a lie? It would be just as effective in garnering my denial of your desires."

"A show of good faith, of course. My reputation may proceed me, it seems, but my intentions are true. I wish to offer you a trade, one I think you will find benefits us both quite nicely."

For the first time since their arrival, Fafnir's head lifted off of the gold it had rested on. One gleaming eye turned toward them, bearing down on Loki with an assessing gaze.

"A trade? And what could you possibly offer me to sway me away from the All-Father's commands? He was quite generous with his contribution in return for my services as guard."

But Tony could see that he was interested. Of course. Apparently some stereotypes about dragons really were true.

"Your life."

Fafnir threw his head back and roared with laughter, sparks flying from his maw and falling like tiny stars. Then he was upon them again, eyes alive with anger and jaws snapping a scarce inch away from Loki's front. Tony had to admire him for not moving at all. The rest of the group had nearly fallen over themselves.

"You attempt to threaten me, child? Perhaps you have forgotten who it is you address."

"It seems I must seek your forgiveness once again, Great Fafnir. I bring tiding of your downfall, a preventable tragedy should you only know the details. I bargain to you this information in return for my son. His gilded cage and Odin's payments are of little interest to me. It is only my son I desire."

The dragon drew back a bit, but looked no less wary. Tony felt sweat trickling down the back of his neck. He wished he could be this collected during board meetings, much less facing down a dragon. Maybe he should hire Loki as his new liaison to Stark Industry. The board would never bother him again.

"And how is it that you have come by this information? A well-timed 'gift from the Norns?'"

His tone was mocking, but Loki showed no sign of being put off.

"Not in the slightest. It is well-known throughout the realms that my mother, Queen Frigga of Asgard, has been blessed by the Norns with frequent visions. Many of them she puts onto parchments before she has a chance to forget. I found this one rather recently recorded in a book." Fafnir still looked skeptical, so Loki continued. "I will readily swear an Oath to speak nothing but the truth, if it would please you."

"An Oath of Truth from the Lie-Smith…Why, that alone would be a rare treasure, indeed." The dragon chuckled more at his own joke, seeming to consider Loki's words. "You seek your son and nothing more?"

"Indeed. Surely it was a nuisance to have to tend to a living creature…time better spent among your hoard."

Fafnir's growl cut through the air like glass and Tony flinched before he could stop himself.

"Do not attempt to use your pretty words to sway my mind, Silver Tongue. Your efforts have already pushed the line of my patience." There was a pregnant pause. "But your trade is fair, if your words are true. I will have your Oath and what you know of this prophecy. If your claims prove true, I shall release your son to go with you."

Tony released a breath of air he hadn't realized he was holding. Even Loki's lips twitched upward as he forced back a smile. He inclined his head to Fafnir. Loki raised two fingers to his heart where they began to glow green with magic before he pressed them to his lips.

"I, Loki, hereby give my Oath to utter no lie in this exchange of words. Should I break my Oath, I acknowledge that my lips shall be bound shut with course leather until such a time as I am released by he whom I lied to."

Fafnir bared his teeth in what might have been a grin.

"Oh, Princeling…That will be the least of your worries if you choose to cross me. Now, tell me what you know."

"As you wish. The text read that a great Dwarven civilization would arise in the south, one of incredible wealth and power. It would grow until all others paid homage to their king…and then a great dragon," Loki shot Fafnir a significant look, "from the north would come upon it, devastating its people and running them off. A claim would be laid upon the mountain in which the Dwarven society had thrived and upon its treasure, which was unrivaled by any other in the realm."

"I am not seeing where this is a bad situation for me."

"Indeed, for many years, the hoard and its keeper would go undisturbed but a challenger would arise, the grandson of the original Dwarven ruler." Tony nearly blew the whole charade in that instant because it suddenly _clicked._ Loki was telling this prophecy based on the plot of the _fucking Hobbit._ "He would lead a company of twelve other Dwarves and another creature…once whose scent you would not recognize from any species you had encountered."

Oh, he was clever. He was combining the storytelling with what was actually true. Fafnir _wouldn't_ recognize the scent of a hobbit…mostly because they didn't exist. Tony hoped Natasha was taking notes.

"What kind of creature?" Fafnir asked, clearly becoming drawn into the tale. It was perfectly understandable. Loki had a talent for telling stories.

"A hobbit, small creatures that dwell in holes. They are near-silent when they wish to be and have a love of both food and ruggedly handsome Dwarf kings. I read that an arrow would be the cause of death, but it was one unlike any I have seen before."

Fafnir hummed in thought.

"An arrow that could pierce my hide…none such thing exists."

"Not now, perhaps, but each of the Realms grows stronger with the passing of time. Midgard alone has seen a complete revolution in only the last century. You would do well not to disregard the possibilities of the future."

Fafnir inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Very well. You shall find your son waiting for you at the cavern entrance. Now be gone. Your presence begins to bore me."

"Wha-Are you serious? That's it?"

Tony wanted to punch Clint in the face. From the looks of it, Loki was having similar thoughts. Fafnir's snout swung around to survey the archer.

"What a curious outburst…Do elaborate."

"Uh…"

Clint was looking distinctly nervous, which Tony thought he totally deserved but also couldn't blame him for. It didn't matter how good of an assassin you were, a heaping load of dragon in your face was bound to put you on edge. Unless you were Loki, of course, because…well, Tony was just going to assume magic.

"Come now, don't be shy…"

Clint shot a desperate glance at Loki, of all people, and received absolutely zero sympathy. Loki's glare did, however, promise the archer worlds of pain if he ruined all of the god's hard work.

"It's just, you know, I didn't expect negotiations to go quite so smoothly."

"You would prefer I refused the trade?"

"No, no!" Clint scrambled to recover. "Just," he made vague hand gestures at Fafnir, "dragon. I was expecting you to hoard things a bit more, I guess…and is this really all it takes for you to betray Odin? I thought he was, like, the all-powerful All-Daddy that had everyone bowing and scraping at his feet."

Fafnir roared his amusement, the same sparks raining down as before.

"Odin? Odin is no more a king to be than you are, mortal. He likes to think himself so mighty upon his golden throne, but he is not so great or powerful as he thinks. He would not dare to move against me. The cost would be too great and he knows I have no fondness for him."

"Then why did you agree to do him a favor if you hate him so much?"

"Now, now, Barton, I think that's enough."

The god curled a long-fingered hand around Clint's shoulder and gripped it tightly.

"The mortal asks a valid question. It would be a shame if I didn't answer him." Clint winced as Loki's hand tightened its grip, but Fafnir either didn't notice or pretended not to. "I did Odin no favors, little mortal, I simply completed a transaction with him. I have completed one with you, as well, though I wish I had known of your amusing demeanor first. Perhaps I would have negotiated _you_ as payment for the guest leaving my care."

"Well then, we should probably get going, then. There is still so much left to do."

Loki flicked a hand at the others to get them moving and Tony instantly took the cue, ushering Bruce out first as he backed away. Loki steered Clint around to pass the archer off to Thor, but Clint wasn't exactly complaining. The others were already heading down the corridor when Tony turned back, unwilling to leave without Loki following behind. He spotted the god taking slow, cautious steps away from the dragon.

"We do appreciate your…business. It was concluded quite favorably."

"Oh, yes, I would have to agree. And Loki?" The dragon drew his head away to settle once again on his mountains of gold, looking as content as could be. "Your father would be quite proud of the way you managed to squirm around an Oath of Truth with a Midgardian fable, and of your other accomplishments. Laufey always prized cleverness above all else."

Loki's eyes widened and Tony was at his side in moments, wrapping a hand around his arm.

"You knew?"

Fafnir was already shutting his eyes, clearly done with them.

"Queen Frigga was already here, bearing several priceless artifacts from the era of Svartalheim's rule. She seemed to think you wouldn't be far behind. Now, once again, be gone from this place. I have had my fun for this century."

Loki seemed unwilling to movie, so Tony tugged him toward the exit. The god followed his direction easily after only a few moments of resistance. Judging by the dazed look in his eye, though, he wasn't exactly paying attention to the trip. Tony was just starting to get worried when they reached the entrance to Fafnir's hoard and Loki seemed to shake himself out of it. The others, Thor in particular, shot them questioning glances, having not caught the end of their conversation with the dragon. Loki's gaze swept the area, searching.

"Where is Jormungandr?"

"I am here, Father."

A long, serpentine form dropped from one of the surrounding trees and slithered closer. It was easily eight feet in length and Tony had to admit he was expecting a bit more size from the serpent that was said to circle the world. It was also the moment he remembered his distinct discomfort in the face of reptiles that did not possess legs. (One of the wildest nights of his life had been with a woman who was a professional snake charmer. She turned out to be more flexible than any gymnast he'd ever slept with, but he'd never be able to look at snakes the same way again.)

At the sight of the serpent Loki held out his arms, allowing his son to climb his frame and lounge about his shoulders. A forked tongue flickered out to lick Loki's cheek before Jormungandr nosed him affectionately. Tony still thought it was a pretty heartwarming sight despite the fact that it made his skin crawl just the tiniest bit.

"It is good to see you again, my son. Your brothers await our arrival on Midgard."

"And my sssssisssster? What of Hela?"

Loki began walking, still carrying his son upon his shoulders. The group followed after him easily. It didn't need to be said that it was time to head back to Earth. Tony thought he'd like to come back and visit Alfheim, perhaps without the visit to Fafnir, though.

"Hela is still in her own realm. We have yet to discuss how to get a message to her, much less how to get to her."

"Is there not a branch of Yggdrasil that reaches to her realm?"

Natasha's question brought her to Jormungandr's attention and he twisted out toward her before Loki drew him back in.

"Helheim, I'm afraid, is not so simple. Getting _to_ that realm is easy. It is getting back that presents the challenge. There are very few throughout history who have managed it."

"You could alwayssss jussst _kill_ ssssomeone," Jormungandr suggested, and Tony didn't think he was joking. Yeah…if he hadn't been a bit freaked out by the serpent before, he was definitely not feeling the friendly vibes now. "She'sss sure to get the messssage then."

"Absolutely not." Loki's tone brokered no argument. "That isn't an option."

"Good to see you defending us. I can't even begin to say how great it is that you're on our side."

"Why, Barton, your dry gratitude is positively dripping with sarcasm. I do believe the strength of it could only be matched by my gratitude to you, for your help dealing with Fafnir."

The archer cringed, but kept his mouth shut. Tony caught Bruce eying them both warily.

"Right…So what is it exactly that makes Helheim so difficult to get out of?"

"Helheim is the realm of the dead," Thor boomed in response. "The realm itself does not like to release what it has taken."

"And what does that mean, exactly?"

Steve sounded nervous and Tony was pretty sure it had something to do with his old school Catholic belief system.

"It means," the inventor cut in, "that if you make it there, you can pretty much count yourself on the same level as all those angels everybody keeps comparing you to."


	11. I'll Drink to That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony procrastinates, but it gets done in the end.

"Hey, you got a sec?"

_'I have been reliably informed that hay is for horses.'_

Tony froze for a moment and just stared at Sleipnir.

"Did you just…?"

_'Your teammate Clint has been most forthcoming about your Earth culture.'_

Tony snorted.

"I guess I really shouldn't be surprised. I'm totally bringing this up the next time he accuses me of acting like a child."

He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him to give them some privacy. JARVIS had managed to do a brilliant job of seeing to Sleipnir's equestrian needs. The traditional furniture had been removed from the room and it now looked more like the inside of a stable than Tony would have ever thought possible. Sleipnir obviously caught him giving the room a once-over.

_'I must thank you for the accommodations you have provided.'_

Tony just shrugged.

"No problem. Mi casa es su casa and all that."

Sleipnir nodded distractedly.

_'You wished to speak to me about something?'_

"Right, yes! I did. I need some information and I feel like you're the only one I'd be able to get a straight answer out of."

_'I will try my best.'_

"What's the deal with Loki being adopted? I mean, I know the basics, that he's actually a frost giant and that he didn't react well to finding out. Thor has been pretty tight lipped on the whole matter, though."

The horse-god seemed to consider him for a long moment and Tony refused to back down from his gaze.

_'Why do you wish to know?'_

"Because I work best when I actually have all the information. I've tried to tell Fury that a million times. If I don't have all the pieces to the puzzle, I can't put it together. Whatever the Hell went down is clearly something that Loki is still holding onto. How am I supposed to help him if I don't even know what I'm dealing with?"

Sleipnir considered him for another long moment before turning away.

 _'Come, sit with me,'_ he said as he folded his many legs beneath him. _'This will not be a short tale, I am afraid. I will try and be as brief as I can while still giving you all the information you seek.'_

"I appreciate it. I know Loki isn't going to be happy to find out that I've been seeking out this information."

_'That is a significant understatement. My father's fury will be frightening to behold…but he is greatly in your debt. You need not fear that he would harm you.'_

"I don't."

Tony was a bit surprised that he meant it, too. For a guy who'd once thrown him out a window, he didn't find Loki particularly frightening.

_'Good…Now, I suppose I should begin with a brief history between the races of Asgard and Jotunheim. There was once a time when the realms stood as equals. During the reign of Bor, Odin's father, trade between the realms was plentiful. It was said that King Bor even kept a few Jotun women among his consorts. But much changed as time passed. By the time Jotunheim moved against Midgard, there had already been many skirmishes between the two armies.'_

"And Odin was king by that time, right?"

_'Indeed. And Laufey was king of the Frost Giants. He was the one who lead them into battle carrying the Casket of Ancient Winters and it was Odin who met him with the might of Asgard's forces. It was a bloody battle, many warriors falling in the defense of your realm. Eventually, the fighting moved to Jotunheim, where Odin drove their army back until it was nearly decimated. It was far more than was needed to bring about their defeat. In the 2,000 years that followed, there were still huge swaths of Jotunheim left unpopulated.'_

"I thought that was caused by Loki's attack."

_'Much of the destruction was caused by his attack, and many deaths, but there would have been many more if such an attack had occurred when Jotunheim was at the height of its power. Odin wanted to strip them of everything they had so that they could not rise up again, or at least that is my theory. You must remember that I am not all-knowing in this regard. I can only provide you with my interpretation.'_

"You seem to be doing pretty well so far."

Tony settled in with his back to a wall so that he was a bit more comfortable. He wasn't in his twenties anymore and sitting on the floor was already beginning to pain him.

_'Odin took from them the Casket of Ancient Winters, which was a source of great power to their kind, but he also took something far more precious. He found a child in one of their temples. He claimed the child had been abandoned there, a runt too small to be thought of as useful. The child bore the markings of Laufey's line and so Odin took him in, thinking that perhaps the child could be used to garner peace between their realms.'_

"But you don't think that's the whole story?"

_'Truly, I do not know what to think. The culture of Jotunheim is not one that I am familiar with. I know they are more than what is taught to the masses of our realm, but I do not know how much more. They are not just savage creatures, but there was never a chance to study their ways. The All-Father's words could be very true, or they could be total lies. They could even be what he thought was true while being mistaken.'_

"What would be your best guess?"

Sleipnir fell silent, seeming to mull this over, and Tony was happy to give him the time. If he was being honest with himself, he was stalling just a bit and he wouldn't mind this being drawn out a little while longer.

_'I think that war time, when your race has already been decimated so thoroughly, is a foolish time to discard a child. Even if the child was smaller than most, it seems to me that it would be counterproductive to abandon it to die and a time when growing the population was so crucial.'_

"If Loki wasn't actually abandoned, then it certainly changes a lot."

_'More than you know, mortal. My father was raised as a prince of Asgard, but he was never treated as an equal to Thor. He was raised without the knowledge of his true heritage and taught to hate and fear the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. This, too, brings me trouble over Odin's reasoning. If he were so set on Loki bringing peace to the realms, why would he raise the boy to hate his own kind? Why raise Thor, who was to be king, to think of them as nothing more than beasts for the slaughter? How was any of that to foster peace? If he had some strategy, it escapes me.'_

"So how did Loki find out he was adopted?"

_'Thor's coronation to become king was interrupted by a small group of Frost Giants breaking in to Asgard's vault, two or three of them. They meant to reclaim the Casket, but it was a suicide mission from the start. The vault is guarded by a creature known as The Destroyer, a metal suit not unlike your own.'_

"That was the thing that attacked Thor in New Mexico. SHIELD thought it was one of mine at first, actually."

_'Yes. I hope the confusion did not cause you any inconvenience.'_

"Nah," Tony brushed it off. "By that time, the whole thing was pretty much done with. I didn't even hear about any of it until it was over."

_'Then I am glad. As I was saying, The Destroyer killed the intruders and that should have been the end of the issue. Thor, however, decided to go to Jotunheim with Loki and a group of his close friends and demand answers from Laufey. I was not there, of course, not until Odin needed to follow after them, but apparently Loki came into contact with one of the giants. Instead of his skin burning with frostbite as would be the normal reaction, his skin began to turn blue. Upon returning, Odin banished Thor to Midgard and stormed back to the palace. It was the first time my father and I had been allowed to speak in many years, but I was still under the influence of the bridle you removed from me and he was distracted by what had occurred. I'm afraid I was not much help to him. He confronted Odin, I later learned, and demanded to know the truth. The All-Father told him of his heritage, but fell into the Odinsleep before he was even able to finish.'_

"The Odinsleep?"

_'The All-Father expends a great amount of magic keeping the realm of Asgard safe. Once a year he must enter a deep sleep-like state, similar to what you might view as a coma, to renew his powers and extend his life. We of Asgard refer to those powers as the Odinforce. If the All-Father exhausts his powers before the year is up or sustains serious injury he is sometimes forced to enter the Odinsleep early. Putting the sleep off, as he had done for Thor's coronation, leaves him weakened and vulnerable.'_

"How long does it last?"

_'It often changes. At the time, we could not even be sure that he would wake at all.'_

"Asgard was left without a king."

_'And with its crowned prince banished. Queen Frigga and the Council of Elders decided the title of king would go to Loki. He had nothing to do with the decision, not that you could convince anyone of that after the fact. He was presented with Gungnir, the king's spear and a more definite sign of ruling than any throne or crown. My father held all of Asgard in the palm of his hands. At this point, his thought process was unclear to me but I can assume that he was focused first on ending the war that Thor had started by going to Jotunheim. He lured a group of Frost Giants, led by Laufey, to Asgard. There he laid a trap for them and killed Laufey as Jotunheim's king attempted to assassinate Odin. Then he went to the Bifrost and set it to destroy all of Jotunheim.'_

"But Thor stopped him."

_'Yes, though it resulted in the destruction of the Bifrost and my father falling into the Void. I know nothing of what happened between that and him appearing on your world.'_

Tony nodded and mulled over what he'd heard.

"So he felt betrayed by one father and abandoned by another…not to mention he straight up killed his birth father. Sheesh, and I thought I had daddy issues…Do you think he regrets killing Laufey?"

Sleipnir paused to consider this.

_'His actions no doubt saved the realms from a brutal war. Even considering those lost to the attack, his actions saved many more lives than they cost. My father has always been willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, so I do not think he regrets what he did…However, I think he would have liked to be able to get answers from Laufey. If we are questioning Odin's story, you can be sure that my father has questioned it even more so.'_

"You're probably right about that…Well, thank you for sharing. I really do appreciate it."

It was time for him to quit stalling anyway. Sleipnir stood with him as he headed for the door.

_'Leaving so soon?'_

Tony grinned at him.

"Yeah, sorry. I've got something else I need to do today. I can't keep putting it off."

_'Then I shall let you get on with have done much for my family, more than could have ever been asked of you. Anything that I can do to help you, I will not hesitate on.'_

Tony smiled as he stepped back out into the hallway.

"Thanks. I appreciated it. Just watch out for your dad, okay?"

Tony stopped by the communal kitchen to grab a six pack on his way to make a pit stop in his lab and then proceeded on to the floor where Clint and Natasha both stayed. Originally, he'd tried to give them separate floors, but apparently they found comfort in having the other close by. He'd compromised by splitting the floor in half and giving them separate apartments. He knocked on Clint's door, figuring he should start this off with at least some vague semblance of manners. Pepper would be so proud. It took Clint a minute to answer the door and he looked ruffled when he did. Tony only beamed at him.

"Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

Clint ran a hand through disheveled hair and then down his face to cover up a yawn, stepping aside to let Tony in. The genius headed straight for the living room to throw himself down on the couch.

"Sleep. But I hear that's overrated, anyway."

Tony laughed.

"You know my opinion on the matter. I brought beer."

The archer grinned and took the other side of the couch as he accepted the bottle Tony held out to him. He was dressed casually in loose sleep pants and a plain t-shirt, but the hard lines of muscle underneath still made him look dangerous. He picked up a knife from the coffee table to pry off the top of the beer and reached for Tony's to do the same.

"Thanks."

They sipped their beers in silence, both staring off into the middle distance. After a few minutes Tony sighed and sat up a bit.

"So, I think we need to talk."

Clint mock gasped and splayed his hand over his heart in horror.

"You're not breaking up with me, are you?"

Tony snorted.

"Now, now, sweetheart, it's not you, it's-"

"The guy who tried to take over the world?"

Well, shit, that got serious fast.

"Yeah…I guess so. Look, I know you're pissed at me for bringing him into all of this, for getting the team involved and putting everyone in danger. If I were you, I probably would be, too. I can't say I'm sorry for doing it, cause I still think it was the right thing to help Loki find his kids, but I'm sorry that I started it the way I did. I'm sorry I messed with your bow and I'm sorry I used asking Loki out as a good way to get back at you."

Clint groaned and sank back into the couch.

"He took over my mind, man…He _killed_ Coulson, even if we got him back. I can't forgive him for that."

"I'm not asking you to." Tony shifted a bit so he could face the other. "I trust him, Clint, but I get that you and the rest of the team don't. Hell, I probably shouldn't trust him as much as I do. Once we've got his kids all back I'll set them up in one of my houses. They won't even be here anymore. I'm not asking you to like him, or forgive him, or anything like that. That's not what I'm here for."

Clint downed the rest of his beer and reached for another which Tony hastened to hand over. Apparently this was going to be that kind of conversation.

"What _are_ you here for?"

"I just…" Tony considered his words carefully, "I need to know that things are okay. Between us."

Clint turned his head to look at the genius, eyes searching. He fiddled nervously with the label on his beer, tearing it off bit by bit. Silence stretched between them a long while before the archer nodded decisively.

"Yeah. Yeah, we're good. I'm, uh, I'm sorry I brought up your dad. That was a dick move."

Tony chuckled before downing the last of his beer.

"Yeah, it was. But it's cool. I probably deserved it."

"You didn't. The upgrades are awesome. The transition time to switch out the arrowheads is so much faster now."

"You know I've got three new arrow types down in the lab with your name on them. I mean, if you're interested. I even worked out how to pull off that sticky goo one you were talking about after the mission in Singapore."

Clint was sitting up so fast that Tony actually jumped in surprise.

"Are you shitting me, Stark? Cause if you're messing with me right now then I may actually kill you."

Tony laughed and reached for another bottle, the one he'd placed farthest away from Clint. It weighed a lot less than the others, but that was what happened when chemical density was so much lighter. Nerves fluttered in his stomach, but he didn't let them show.

"No shitting involved. It took me forever to figure it out, so you better be grateful."

He didn't pay attention to Clint's exclamations, just waiting for him to be distracted enough that Tony could twist the top of the bottle off and take a swig before the archer could notice the white fog that drifted out of it. He pushed the burning sensation to the back of his mind and chugged a few more swallows before lowering the bottle and hiding it behind his leg.

"If there're any other arrows you're interested in, you should make a list. I'm pretty sure I owe you more than just a few."

Clint snorted and flopped back down on the couch from where he'd stood to better gesticulate his excitement over the new toys. He shot Tony a grin.

"We don't do things for trades here, Tony. Otherwise we'd all be bowing and scraping at your feet for putting us up in such high style."

Tony chuckled weakly before lifting the bottle and downing some more of it. Swallowing hurt like a bitch. He could practically feel the moment Clint realized something was wrong. A glance showed that concern lined the archer's face and Tony quickly downed some more of the liquid before the burns in his mouth got too bad. He wasn't exactly sure how fast it would eat away at his tissue.

"Tony," Clint's voice sounded strangled, "what's in the bottle?"

"Don't worry." God , it hurt to talk. "It's just this one. None of the others. I'm sorry, Clint. I really need a favor."

Clint was already moving toward him and Tony threw back what was left in the bottle before the archer could get it away from him. Clint's hands found either side of his face and pulled him around to stare at him.

"What did you do? What was that? Tony!"

His voice was sounding more and more panicked, very unbecoming of a world-class assassin, but Tony could feel the clenching in his chest that meant the chemical was starting to do its work. His heart, already weakened as it was, wouldn't last very much longer.

"Hydro-" He fell into a coughing fit and had to fight for breath before he could start again. "Hydrofluoric acid." His hands scrambled for purchase in Clint's shirt. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was terrified. "Clint…Clint, you can't let them find my body."

It hurt so bad. His mouth and throat felt like they were on fire. He felt Clint moving him to lie down on the couch, the archer's usually steady hands fluttering and shaking. The genius really had some making up to do for this one.

"Tony! Tony, stay with me! You're gonna be alright, okay? I'm gonna get you help. JARVIS!"

Tony lifted one hand in the air to listlessly wave off Clint's protests. Calloused fingers grabbed at his own and latched on tight.

"I already told him…not to call for help." It was getting really hard to talk and black was encroaching upon the edges on Tony's vision. He groaned from the pain and Clint squeezed his hand even tighter. "Promise me…Promise me you won't tell the others. It wouldn't…wouldn't be good."

He'd had some really good reasons lined up, actually, but he couldn't seem to remember them. He turned his head to meet Clint's horrified gaze. He needed to know his body would be safe.

"I promise." It sounded like the words had been wrenched from Clint's throat, but he'd said them and that was enough. Tony tried to shoot he archer one of his signature grins, but if the look on Clint's face was any indication, it didn't work out very well. "Tony, don't do this. Tony, I have lost too many people…please don't do this."

The coughing was back, and Tony was pretty sure he could feel blood in his throat, but he managed to turn himself onto his side. He moved the hand that Clint wasn't clutching at desperately to the side of the archer's face, his clumsiness perhaps leading it to land a bit harder than necessary. Clint didn't complain.

"L-listen, Clint…" He struggled to bring in air, near gasping. "I am not…leaving you…You're gonna be…fine. Okay?" He tried smiling again since if there was one thing Tony Stark never learned it was his lesson. "I'll be back."

Belatedly, he thought he probably should have tried that in the Terminator voice. Then again, he wasn't sure he could manage it at the moment. He'd kinda been hoping this wouldn't take that long. And he seriously hoped he'd be back. If he wasn't then this was not a cool way to go out.

"I swear to God, I'll kill him, Tony. I don't care if it's not what you want! I will _kill_ that son of a bitch for talking you into this!"

Tony shushed him, patting his cheek awkwardly.

"Loki…didn't talk me…into this. He…doesn't know." He had to pause to breathe. "He's gonna be so upset, Clint…"

The archer snorted, making a valiant attempt at maintaining cheer.

"You bet he is. Dammit, I should have _known_ this was all your harebrained scheme! You're too fucking good, man. Do you hear me? You always try and play yourself off with all that self-centered asshole crap but I know the truth. Captain America ain't got shit on you, man."

Tony laughed before dissolving into a wet coughing fit, blood coming up to coat the inside of his mouth. His entire frame shook as he swallowed convulsively to try and clear it.

"Just…try telling that…to my dad…"

His hand slipped from the side of Clint's face. He didn't have the energy to keep it there. He dimly registered Clint yelling at him, but he couldn't hear it anymore. His eyes fell closed, lids too heavy to keep them open. The pain had faded a bit, he thought.

"Clint…you're a…really…good friend."

And then Tony Stark let himself be consumed by the darkness.


	12. At Death's Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony wakes up in the domain of Loki's only daughter. All that should be left now is for him to get back home.

Tony awoke slowly, to the feeling of a hand carding through his hair. His throat and chest ached, but not as much as he would have expected after drinking what he had. He coughed a few times to clear the sensation away and tried to sit up. The hand that had been stroking his hair joined another one with gently helping him with the shift in positions. He squeezed his eyes shut before blinking rapidly to try and clear his vision.

"Don't rush it. You've put yourself through quite a lot, little one. It will take you a bit of time to recover. Could you have possibly picked a more destructive way to die, my dear?"

A woman's face swam into view, one side soft flesh and the other looking almost like black leather. He sent a smile her way, not at all bothered by how her features changed , or that one of the hands helping to support him was icy-cold while the other was like warm sunlight. Dark thoughts and images swirled at the edge of his mind, but did not push deeper.

"Well, you know, I had to make sure it would work. Besides, I had the acid on hand. I hope not too long before I can leave. I was really counting on being able to get back before your dad realized I was gone."

Her hands retreated, the darkness going with them, and his head cleared a little bit. He took a deep breath before pushing himself slowly to his feet. The woman rose gracefully beside him from where she'd been kneeling. Her dress looked as if it had been made from faded black gauze and flowed lightly around her slender frame. She smiled softly down at him.

"It has been quite some time, Anthony. At least by your mortal standards."

Tony snorted.

"Oh, yeah. Three decades is only, like, what? A week for you?"

"Perhaps two. It's been much longer since I last saw any of my siblings, much less my father. How are they?"

"Not bad, I guess." He shrugged, taking a moment to survey her grand throne room. It was built entirely of sand-colored stone and he marveled at the tall columns and detailed carvings. He'd forgotten much of it since he'd last been there. "Loki had a pretty rough time of things, after losing you all. I think getting you back will be what it takes to set things straight for him."

Hela's laugh was like wind chimes in a gentle breeze, so much like Queen Frigga's. Honestly, the queen of Asgard was the only one Tony had trouble believing Loki _wasn't_ related to. Hela gestured vaguely with her flesh hand and a second chair rose up beside her throne, angled slightly so they would be able to talk. He took his seat and she lounged across her throne.

"I have heard the stories. Many dead have carried to me word of my father's deeds, but I do not think it is just the return of his children that will bring him back to himself. He is already so much more of the person he once was. You have had much to do with that, I think."

"I only started him on the path to getting you all back. He would have done it on his own before too long."

"Ah, but you have done much more than that. I can assure you of this. I have seen his actions through the eyes of those he had killed. The way he protected you on Jotunheim was most telling…Have you retrieved Jormungandr yet?"

"We brought him back right before I came to get you. He's super creepy, by the way. I don't think he likes people very much."

Hela threw her head back as she laughed, her antlers almost scraping the wall behind her throne.

"What a singular mortal you are, little one, that you would find my brother creepy but not I! Once again, you have proved yourself most amusing."

"Well, you know me, life of the party. It's kind of what I was known for all the way up until that little incident with the cave. I'm sure you heard about that, too."

She hummed in agreement.

"Tony Stark, leading cause of death among terrorists. It is certainly fortunate that that first death of yours didn't quite stick isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah." Tony stretched and lounged across his chair in a mirror of Hela's own stance. "I was kinda hoping this one would be about the same way. Oh! And I was wondering if you were hiding Laufey around here somewhere."

"What? Am I to have shoved him behind a curtain? Hidden him under a bed perhaps?" Her lips were quirked upward on one side as she sent him a look of amusement. "He is in my realm, if that is what you wish to ask. I would not let a warrior of his caliber slip through my fingers. He will join my personal guard, if all goes to plan. Why do you seek him?"

Tony wiggled around a little, finding the hard-backed chair distinctly uncomfortable for lounging. He was pretty well convinced that Hela had made it that way on purpose. A frown ( _still_ not a pout!) stretched its way across his face.

"Well, you know, cause your dad killed him pretty much right after finding out that Laufey was his real father and I think that left a lot of things unanswered. I thought it might be nice to provide the guy with a bit of closure."

"You want Laufey to accompany us back?"

Hela sounded incredulous and Tony winced slightly.

"Um, no, actually. I don't think that would end well. At all. For anyone. I just thought I could maybe talk to him, ask a few questions and take the answers back."

The guardian of the dead nodded thoughtfully. She was silent for a long moment before rising to her feet. She extended one hand toward Tony in invitation.

"Come. Walk with me."

She led him through the corridors of her palace to an area that opened up to the outside world. The sand that filled the large expanse of land reflected the red tint of the sky and Tony knew he'd be getting a headache from it within a matter of minutes. Warriors, for there was truly no other way to describe them, were scattered across the area. They were all different species and genders, seeming to pay no attention at all to timelines. Tony's attention was immediately drawn to a creature that looked like a writhing mass of tentacles fighting off a woman he was deeply suspicious of actually being Joan of Arc.

"Hmmm, yeah, uh huh. I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going…And for once I'm not actually sure how I feel about it."

Hela grinned as she strode onto the field with him at her heels.

"Your mind was not nearly this dirty the last time you were here."

He snorted.

"Yeah, well, I was eight. How perverted did you really expect me to be?"

"You were also much cuter."

"Ooo, ouch, okay? Low blow, Ms. Queen of the Damned. Totally not cool."

She just grinned at him over her shoulder before approaching a group of four warriors who'd been kicking the shit out of the one in the middle. All five of them scrambled to stand at attention when she stepped into their practice space. (At least Tony assumed it was practice. It reminded him distinctly of that one scene in the second 300 movie.) Each of the warriors appeared to be of a different species, but they were at least all humanoid, more or less. Tony was pretty sure that one on the end was a legitimate minotaur. Hela motioned one of them forward, a towering blue behemoth with ridged patterns swirling across his skin.

"Granddaughter, how may I serve you?"

"This is Tony Stark, a representative on the behalf of my father," she motioned to him and Tony caught himself almost bowing to the man…giant…Jotun…whatever. "He has some questions for you."

Blood red eyes snapped over to focus on Tony.

"You know my son."

Wow, that deep, gravelly voice sounded a lot more intimidating once it was pointed in his direction.

"Yeah. I do. I'm, uh, a friend. I guess. Kinda. I don't know. We're in a bit of a weird place right now."

Laufey considered him for a long moment, scowling.

"Are you sleeping with him?"

"What? No! No, not at all! Jesus! You can't just ask a guy that kind of stuff about your son when you're standing there all super tall and muscley and stuff! Not cool!" The scowl didn't let up and Tony practically felt himself shift over into rambling mode. "And, okay, so we went on one date, but it wasn't even really a thing! It was revenge on one of my teammates and, yeah, okay, so maybe there was a kiss involved, but it was on the cheek and all very above board and I feel like it's important that I point out that he was the one kissing me and not the other way around. So, really, if you think about it, I can't be held responsible for the situation. If you're going to kill me or something over it then I really have to point out how unfair that is. Can you even kill me when I'm already dead? I mean, that's what this whole thing is, right? I'm pretty sure you could do some serious stuff in the pain department anyway and I am not on board with that idea, either. Any way we could just talk this out? Cause I swear I don't have any untoward intentions for your son and I'd really like to not wind up a bloody mess before I head back to Earth and you look like exactly the type of guy who'd be capable of turning me into a bloody mess. I think it might be the eyes. And the height. And the muscles. And probably that facial expression, too-"

"Do you always talk this much?"

Tony froze for a moment. Laufey sounded almost…amused.

"Uh, yeah. Pretty much."

Hela hummed from beside him.

"So…what was that you said about a date? And a kiss, was it?"

"Did I say that? I don't think I said that. You must be mistaken."

"Oh, of course," she purred. "That must be it. Now, I have some preparations to make before I may leave the realm. Laufey will conduct you through the beginning lessons of one who is to join my Valkyries. Surely you will be able to ask your questions of him while you train."

She was gone before Tony could even think about protesting. The genius glanced back at Laufey nervously, the giant grinning down at him in a way that could only be described as feral.

"I'm not going to enjoy this very much, am I?"

Laufey shrugged, grabbing Tony by one shoulder and marching him toward a clear patch of sand.

"I have to admit, I probably will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get out and also that it's so much shorter than the previous chapters. Life has been...challenging recently. This is also the last chapter that will have been beta'ed. From here on out, it'll all mistakes will be mine and mine alone. So if you see any, please feel free to point them out!


	13. Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has a few that need to be made.

Tony's next awakening wasn't nearly so pleasant as the one he'd experienced in Helheim. It was completely dark and every muscle in his body ached, not to mention it was _cold._ Walls pressed in around him on all sides, keeping him forced into a scrunched up position. His mind didn't even give him a single moment to process before he flew into a full blown panic. He pressed against one of the walls, banging on it frantically in the hopes that someone might hear him. All he could think of was that Clint had somehow misunderstood, had buried his body in some fucking _box_ and now Tony was gonna die all over again and be stuck there till they could figure out a way to move his body.

There was a click, followed by something that sounded like suction, and then Tony was tumbling out into light that was absolutely blinding in the face of the darkness. His hands flew up to protect his eyes and his elbows made rather painful contact with the hard surface of the floor. He groaned and would have rolled over if he wasn't pressed against what felt like two poles on one side. The poles moved away, though, and suddenly there were hands on him, rolling him over. He blinked furiously against the light.

"Tony? Tony, can you hear me?"

The genius groaned again, squinting up at the red-head that was slowly swimming into focus.

"Tasha? What're you doing here?"

His tongue felt leaden in his mouth and he stumbled over the words. His voice sounded scratchy and rough even to his own ears and he swallowed painfully to try and clear the sensation away. He was seriously starting to regret his choice of death methods.

"Looking for you." Damn, she actually sounded kind of concerned. "Where are you hurt? There's a lot of blood here."

Tony swatted her hands away as he tried to sit up, silently accepting her help when she switched from fussing over him to supporting him. He ignored her obvious concern by checking out his surroundings. A refrigerator door stood open behind him and tasteful white cabinets stood out against wood-grain porcelain tiles. With Natasha's help, he managed to fully push himself to his feet.

"Am I in Barton's kitchen? Fuck, did he seriously shove me in his fridge?"

"Did he hurt you, Tony?"

Her tone was deadly serious and the inventor whipped his head around to stare at her.

"What? Are you serious? Clint? Is that what you think happened here?"

"No." She looked away, expression grim as her gaze traveled to the wall that stood between them and the living room. "You're family and Clint would never hurt family, no matter what fight you two may have been having. But you have to understand how this looks. Loki and his hoard are out there in the living room right now. I'm pretty sure the team is the only reason Clint hasn't been eviscerated yet."

Making a noise that might have originally been intended to be some sort of word, Tony shoved away from Natasha and toward the doorway to the living room. Unfortunately, his legs gave out before he even managed to get a step and he would have face planted into the ground if it weren't for Natasha's quick reflexes. A soft chuckle came from behind them.

"Oh, little one, no need to be in such a rush. Your body must readjust to having living tissue once again."

Natasha stiffened as Tony twisted around to glare at Hela, who was stepping daintily out of the fridge. Trust her to wait till the door was _open_ before joining him. He brushed his irritation aside and nudged at Natasha to help him up again.

"Not important right now. Don't have time for that crap. Right now I need to go save Bird Brain from your father."

Hela hummed in amusement, ignoring Natasha completely as the queen of the dead trailed after them into the living room. Loki and his brood stood on one side of the room, facing off with the stone-faced Captain and Thor who were blocking them from Barton, who looked completely shattered. Bruce hovered nervously off to the side.

"Wow," Tony said, calling himself to the center of attention, "it's nice to see that everyone has been getting along in my absence."

"Anthony," Loki breathed, voice full of some emotion that Tony couldn't quite identify.

He took a step toward the genius but didn't get any further than that before Tony had an armful of archer. Releasing his hold on Natasha, Tony switched him grip over to the man in his arms and let them both sink to the ground. Clint's face was buried in his neck and he was trembling but not crying. At least Tony hoped he wasn't crying. He really wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle that.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into Clint's hair. "Thank you for looking after me."

He was briefly distracted from the comfort he was giving by a hand settling in his hair. The darkness crept into the edge of his vision and he didn't have to look up to know it was Hela's decaying nails that were lightly scratching his scalp before they moved away.

"I see you can still be adorable, even if your language has gotten worse."

"Who are you?"

Tony rolled his eyes at Steve's question but it was Loki who answered, his own eyes glued to the woman standing just behind the genius. His face actually seemed to have lost some color.

"Hela, my daughter who rules over Helheim. You brought my daughter here."

He sounded like he couldn't quite believe it, like there were a thousand things running through his head and he was keeping them all bottled up until he could somehow manage to sort through them all. Tony couldn't really blame him. Clint shifted just a bit to look up at her, not letting go of Tony as he did so. Still, the genius wasn't irritated by all the touching, he was just glad that there was no sign of tears.

"Where did she come from?"

"Your fridge."

Hela hummed in agreement, removing her hand and stepping around the two Avengers to settle regally in one of Barton's armchairs.

"It is quite a small entryway, but it is not the worst I have used. Is it common throughout Midgard?"

Her question was aimed at Tony, who just shrugged.

"Yeah, in most parts of the world. I'm not usually inside them, though, so you don't need to worry about that. Which reminds me," he switched his attention over to poke Barton in the cheek, "why was I in your fridge again? I mean, what made you think 'fridge?'"

"You were dead!" Tony winced at the ripple that caused throughout the room. "You said you'd be back, but I had no idea how long that would take. I figured refrigeration would help put off decomposition."

Tony paused.

"Oh…that's actually not a bad idea. Anyway, moving on, what are all of you doing here?"

His first instinct was to look at Bruce, but his science bro had his arms wrapped tightly around his own midsection and seemed to be shaking ever so slightly. Tony immediately rose and headed his way, letting Clint follow close enough to practically be stepping on his heels. The inventor's legs were still unsteady, but at least they held his weight now. While Tony budded up to his shaken comrade, Thor took the opportunity to explain.

"It was my nephew who summoned us. Sleipnir seemed to believe that something was wrong with you and Fenrir was able to track your scent here. Once he scented your blood, my brother demanded answers which friend Barton was unwilling to provide…What exactly happened here, friend Stark?"

"I, uh, went to get Hela." He switched his attention to Sleipnir, squeezing Bruce's shoulder firmly. "Why'd you think something was wrong?"

_'You seemed distracted during our discussion and you did not correct me once when I called Loki my father, nor even seem to take note of it. As soon as you left, I began gathering the others. I only regret that it clearly took me too long. There was really no need for you to go to such lengths for our family, though your willingness to do so is both startling and greatly appreciated. We would have figured something out.'_

Tony shifted a bit nervously, but shrugged none the less.

"It really wasn't that big of a deal-"

" _Not a big deal?_ " Loki cut in, suddenly looking furious. "You _died,_ Anthony! You had no idea the consequences on your actions!"

"The fuck I didn't!" Tony was suddenly angry right back at the towering god, fists clenching at his sides as he bared his teeth. "Do you honestly think I would just throw myself into something like that without knowing what was involved? Do you really think I'm that fucking _stupid?_ "

"Hela does not just bring people back with a snap on her fingers! You could not have known that she would be able to do it for you, much less that she would be willing to! I do not know what strength of luck you must possess to have managed it."

"She brought me back the first time! It seemed pretty reasonable she'd be able to do it again!"

Loki looked like he'd been slapped, and he wasn't the only one. Tony realized only a second too late that he'd utterly spilled the beans on his own secret. Damn it, this was why Pepper kept insisting he didn't do live interviews. He'd really been hoping to keep that little detail to himself.

"What?"

Loki sounded strangled, but Hela's response was as cool as ever.

"Indeed. I informed the little one during his first trip to my realm that he would have another visit with me before his soul came to reside in Helheim. It was a simple enough thing to return him to his world and his body."

Even Thor's face turned ashen at that news.

"You have died before?"

Clint's hand had found Tony's, squeezing it tightly as though to reassure the archer that the genius was alive and real.

"Was it Afghanistan?" he asked in a hushed voice, though there was no doubt that everyone in the room could hear him.

Steve was staring at the arc reactor with a look of horror on his face and Tony shrank back a bit, Bruce and Clint being the only reasons he didn't bring his arms up to shield his chest from the onlookers.

"No." His voice trembled a bit and he wrestled it back under control before he spoke again. "It was before that, way before. I was eight. Look, it doesn't really matter."

"Doesn't mat-"

Bruce cut himself off as green flashed through his eyes. He squeezed them shut for a long moment and breathed deeply while the rest of the room stood stock still. Finally, he started again, voice tightly controlled.

"Tony, if you ever say that your death doesn't matter again, and I don't _care_ what the context is, you will be having a very uncomfortable conversation with the Other Guy. Is that clear?"

Tony could only nod wordlessly.

"Good. Now tell us what the _Hell_ happened when you were eight that led to you _dying._ "

Abandoning both of his charges, Tony moved across the crowded space toward Barton's couch. Loki sat on one side of him while Clint settled in on the other. As much as he felt like curling in on himself and disappearing forever, having them both there actually made it a bit easier for him to open his mouth and start talking.

"It was a misunderstanding, really. Jarvis, our butler, went on vacation and the driver that was supposed to be getting me from school thought it would be a pretty good idea to get a couple friends and kidnap me, ransom me back to my father…Howard didn't even know I was _gone,_ refused to believe them when they said they had me. He refused to pay, too, told them to fuck off and hung up on them. He was drunk." Tony let out a snort of laughter that sounded bitter even to his own ears. "Big surprise there."

Loki's hand had snuck up to grasp the back of Tony's neck, rubbing gentle circles in the skin beneath his thumb. Tony leaned into the touch. Hela seemed the only one in the room unbothered by Tony's story. The rest of the expressions ranged from forced blankness to deeply disturbed and sorrowful.

"I guess they decided to cut their losses and run, but it wasn't like they could just leave me there tied up to starve to death or take me with them. I'm still-" he swallowed roughly and Loki gave the back of his neck a gentle squeeze, "They gave me a dose of heroine that they said was to make me sleep while they untied me and left but the dose was too strong. I don't know if it was on accident or not, but it was too high. I overdosed, woke up in a freaky palace with a strange, antlered woman watching over me."

He sent Hela a fond, if weak, smile and she sent him one right back. Thankfully, she also picked up his story where he had left off.

"I know many things about those who enter my realm. I must if I am to sort where they are going to spend the rest of their time before Ragnarok. It is my duty. It is extremely rare that I receive a case such as Anthony's, but I had been expecting him for quite some time. He was destined to do great things and I knew that I could not keep him, though I admit that I did feel the urge to. In the end, I had to send him back."

"And how did you manage that?" Loki asked. "The trials to pass back from your realm would be too great for any being of that age, much less a human."

Hela wore an expression that spoke clearly of exactly who her father was. There was no mistaking their resemblance.

"Were you not the one who taught me there was a loophole to any rule? I simply found the one that an eight-year-old human child could fit through. I made him a Valkyrie."

Loki looked like he was choking on a lemon and the other non-Earthlings didn't look much better.

"Um, could you maybe give a bit more of an explanation? For those of us who _haven't_ traveled to multiple realms?"

Tony felt a smirk pull at his lips, glad to see that Clint was finally getting back to himself at least enough to make some smart-ass comments. Hela's eyes gleamed with amusement as well as she gave in to the archer's request.

"The Valkyrie are my warrior elite, winged soldiers who fight for my cause and carry out whatever duties are required of them. They cannot be slain by anything but the mightiest of magiks and can be felled by no weapon. I do not allow just anyone into their ranks."

Tony could feel the way his teammates were eyeing him appraisingly and held up his hands defensively.

"Don't get the wrong idea here, guys. I don't exactly retain my status once I'm back in my own body. I'm a bit more resistant to actually dying, but I can get hurt just as easily and it doesn't give me any cool abilities or anything like that. Plus, coming back is a _bitch._ Waking back up that first time was _awful._ "

"What happened?"

Tony was actually kind of surprised that it was Natasha who asked.

"I woke up in the abandoned cabin where they'd been hiding out, but the kidnappers were long gone. I was untied and managed to break my way out and find the local police station by the next day. They called Howard, who had finally realized I wasn't there, and I went home. It was the waking up that was the worst part, though. Reanimating dead tissue isn't something that's supposed to happen. My entire body was left aching and weak. You saw how I was when I first tumbled out of the fridge back there."

"I'm confused," Fenrir grumbled. "Is the little rabbit a Valkyrie or not?"

"I'm not, at least not now. I became one in order to leave Helheim but lost the title and abilities when I came back to life. Of course, the next time I go to Helheim, after I've achieved whatever it is Hela's waiting for me to achieve, I'll join the ranks of the Valkyrie for good. It was part of the deal."

Fenrir was nodding in understanding, but Loki still looked displeased. Tony was struck by the sudden urge to kiss the frown right off his face and probably would have done just that, or something equally as stupid, if Clint hadn't chosen that moment to speak up again.

"So why did you have to go out like _that?_ "

Tony's brows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Kill yourself with the fucking acid? Is choosing the most painful way possible part of the deal, too?"

"Oh, right. That. The hydrofluoric acid."

Bruce made a strangled kind of noise and Tony almost went to huddle with him again except Natasha was already taking that duty upon herself.

"You used hydrofluoric acid?"

"Uh, yeah." Tony was feeling distinctly uncomfortable with where all of this was going. "I drank a bottle of it. As I said, this whole Valkyrie thing, or maybe it's just because I've died before and come back, makes me kind of…resistant. It's harder for me to die. I couldn't really stand the thought of actually figuring out what would or wouldn't work but I knew the acid would. Plus it was on hand and I knew it would kick in before Clint had a chance to stop me or get me medical help or anything like that."

"You killed yourself like _that,_ in front of _me,_ because it was _convenient?_ "

Tony winced and twisted in his seat to face Clint, taking hold of both his hands.

"Ok, that sounds really bad when you put it like that, but I swear I will never, ever, do something like that to you again. I'm really sorry."

"You better be," Clint sniffed haughtily. "And if you even _think_ of pulling some shit like this again I'm not putting you in the fridge, I'm dumping you out a window."

Tony swatted at him, but they were both smiling so he figured they were okay.

"Been there, done that. Maybe try to be a bit more original, Tweety."

Clint pulled a face at him and Tony laughed, leaning back into the comfortable warmth behind him without really thinking about who it was coming from. His brain instantly jumped to remind him as soon as Loki wound long arms around the genius's waist that held him there without it being restraining.

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me." He tilted his neck so that he could see Loki out of the very corner of his eye. "Can I talk to you? Privately?"

Loki's eyebrows rose but he released Tony and stood, holding out one hand for the inventor to take.

"I do not see that it should be a problem. I must admit that I would like to take some time to ascertain that you are unharmed for myself. May I inquire as to what this is about?"

Tony glanced furtively at the others in the room. It wasn't that he thought they would judge Loki for his connection to Laufey, but the genius was pretty sure the god just wouldn't want them to know in the first place. Pride and all that. It was something Tony could completely understand.

"Maybe we should just wait."

Loki nodded in understanding, much to Tony's surprise, and gestured toward the door.

"Lead on, then, and I shall follow."


	14. Daddy Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Loki have some interesting conversations...and just a little bit more than that, too.

Tony ended up taking Loki all the way back up to the penthouse. He made a beeline for the bar as soon as they were off the elevator. No matter what front he might of put up for the team, dying wasn't exactly on his list of preferred activities. Besides, he was definitely going to need a drink for the conversation that was to come. Loki followed after him like a silent shadow, accepting the drink Tony offered him with barely a hum. They moved again, this time over to the wall of windows that looked out over the city. Several minutes stretched by as they stood next to each other before Loki finally spoke.

"I have been a fool, a position I find myself in far more often than I would like to admit."

Tony startled, completely lost as to where that came from. His mind worked on overdrive to catch up. Loki just threw back the alcohol and vanished the glass before turning his head to look at the genius beside him. Fear clenched Tony's heart, the all-too-familiar ache that came with abandonment as soon as he'd let his guard down. He tossed back his own glass of liquor. Loki apparently took that as his cue to keep talking.

"I know that you wished to speak to me of some matter, but I would like to get this out first, if I may. I have seen you injured many times since I first came to this world, more than once by my own hand. It was never something that particularly bothered me."

"Oh, well, gee. Thanks, Reindeer Games. Glad to know exactly where we stand."

Loki shot him a glare that told him to shut up more effectively than any words could have.

"After we returned from Asgard with Sleipnir, however, and I discovered your suffering for it, I found myself concerned. It was as though one of my own had taken ill or been injured in some way, as though it were Fenrir or Hela who lay in the bed struggling to breath. It has been a long time since I have cared for someone in that way."

Luminescent green eyes pinned Tony in place and he swallowed loudly. Still, hope bloomed in his chest because that definitely didn't sound like abandonment, didn't sound like Loki was leaving. Granted, it made some of the dreams he'd had about the god a little bit more awkward, but Tony could deal with that.

"So I basically just got adopted by the God of Mischief? Unofficially? Or something?"

Loki snorted, whatever tension he had been carrying breaking temporarily.

"No. But you have earned a place of great importance, none the less. Even then, I should have known what was happening but I could not see what was right before my eyes. I knew you mattered to me, but not how deeply that affection ran. It took the acts of the last few hours for me to truly comprehend it." His eyes took on a haunted look as he maintained eye contact with the inventor and Tony felt as though he were completely entranced. "When Fenrir announced he had scented your blood, I truly thought the Hawk had killed you. I believed I had lost you and that I had realized the truth when it was far too late. It is only by some miracle that you were able to return."

Tony had to consciously stop himself from leaning toward the god. It was tempting. _Loki_ was tempting, but Tony knew nothing good would come of it. Nothing good at all. Instead he just shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

"Yeah, well, I'm kinda known for the whole 'achieving the impossible' shtick."

Loki did not look amused.

"You still have blood on your face, you know."

Tony's hand flew to his chin at Loki's soft words, cursing as he felt the dried blood flaking away at his touch and matting his beard. Loki waved the inventor's hand away and brushed over the area with fingers glowing green with magic. Even once the magic faded, his hand did not leave Tony's face. It traveled along his jaw to cup the side of his head, Loki's thumb stroking his cheek. The genius's mind was reeling. Logically, he knew exactly what was going on, what this was leading to and what that meant. That didn't make it any easier to grasp, though. It just felt so surreal.

"I do hope," Loki's face was impossibly close, his eyes hooded, "that I am not about to overstep my bounds..."

The god's lips were cool and soft against Tony's. It was just a gentle brush at first, barely even contact at all, but then Loki pressed in a bit more. He kept the kiss languid, unhurried. It was obvious that he was savoring ever sensation and prolonging the experience. The hand that wasn't cupping the side of his head found Tony's waist and pulled him closer, finally kicking Tony's brain back into gear from his temporary short-circuit.

He pressed forward, his body fitting against Loki's in a way that felt incredibly nice. Tony was used to kissing people taller than himself, had brought home plenty enough models to know that experience _quite_ well, but there was something about kissing Loki that just seemed different. Tony could feel the other's power and strength in every line of his body and there was a hum of energy that seemed to crawl under his very skin. _Probably magic,_ his mind supplied.

Their lips moved together with the ease of two people who knew exactly what they were doing. Tony nipped lightly at Loki's lower lip before opening up to allow the other's tongue access to his own mouth. Loki teased and explored this new territory with only the briefest and lightest of touches. The kiss was intoxicating in its slowness. There was no rush to get to 'the main event' and no undertone of expectation. It was just a kiss, a wonderful, maddeningly addictive kiss. Tony was pretty sure he'd want to do it again. A lot.

"Oh, God," Tony murmured when they finally broke contact, even though his lips still just barely brushed Loki's with every word. "You dad is totally gonna kill me the next time I go to Helheim."

Loki's entire body froze.

"What?"

"Shit! Right! Did I mention I talked to Laufey while I was there? No, of course I didn't. That's what I was going to talk to you about now. But then the kissing…happened. Which I'm totally on board with that happening again, by the way. Cause that was awesome. And I've pretty much been fantasizing about that for ages, like ever since you showed back up after breaking out of prison or whatever. Still curious about how you pulled that off, too, but it's not really the point right now, is it?"

"No," Loki looked like he wasn't quite sure whether to be upset or amused and the result was distractingly adorable, "it's not. You spoke with Laufey?"

"Yeah, yes, I did that. While in Helheim. Hela's turning him into a member of her personal guard, you know. Great guy, kinda, ish. I dunno. We only really talked while he was beating the shit out of me. The _muscles_ on that guy! I mean, seriously! Are all Jotunar like that? Built like brick houses? Cause damn. That's all I'm sayin'. And he was smart enough to know how to use 'em, too. I can totally see where you got that big, beautiful brain of yours. Also, dat ass."

" _Anthony._ "

"Yes?"

"I request you never speak to me of my biological father's ass."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

There was a long pause.

"Why was he beating you?"

Tony shrugged.

"Part of the combat training. He was just, you know, a lot better at it that I was. I totally could have handled him in the suit, I mean, but I'm not exactly Rambo without it, if you get what I'm saying."

"No. I don't. I assume this is yet another reference to your Midgardian pop culture."

"Yeah, which you-Actually, no. You totally shouldn't watch those movies. You'd hate them. Moving on. So, yeah, I talked to Laufey."

Loki sighed and stepped away, a hand curling around Tony's wrist to pull with along after the god. He didn't speak again until they were settled on the couch, Tony practically in Loki's lap and Loki's arms wrapped around his waist.

"I am almost afraid to ask what it was the two of you spoke about."

Tony grinned sheepishly.

"Well, you know, I know you haven't had an easy time with this whole adoption-that-might-have-been-kidnapping thing and then following that up with a slightly unhealthy dose of patricide…It's a rough time and I thought maybe I could get you some answers. It wasn't like you had a chance to sit down and talk things out with Laufey before you lured him to Asgard and killed him."

Loki shifted a bit and pulled Tony closer until the genius was leaning against the god's chest. Clearly, he wasn't letting any time go to waste now that he'd confirmed that Tony felt similarly. Though they hadn't actually talked about it. They'd probably need to do that. Eventually. Not right now. They were dealing with Laufey right now.

"Very well. I shall bite, as you mortals say. What did you discuss?"

"You, mostly," Tony admitted, "and the fact that Laufey really hates Odin. Like, a lot. As in, he kind of wants to boil Odin's remaining eye and shove it down his throat. No, really, he actually said that-"

" _Anthony._ "

"Right, sorry. I guess, first, he's not mad about you killing him. I mean, I don't think he was happy to die but he was really impressed with how you did it. Apparently the Jotunar value cleverness more than anything else and he admired your scheme, even the whole bit about destroying Jotunheim cause you figured out a way to do it that wouldn't endanger a single life other than your target's."

"Did-" Loki paused to clear his throat, "Did he know I was his son?"

"Not until Hela told him. She didn't know, either, until Laufey crossed into her realm. He'd thought you'd been lost forever in the war, thought you were already dead."

"He thought I was _lost?_ " Loki's face twisted in his anger and it unsettled Tony to see it. It reminded him far too much of Loki's expression during the invasion. "He _abandoned me!_ "

"I'm not actually so sure that's true. Look, Laufey told me his side of things and it made _sense_. Thor said that Odin found you in a temple, right? So what if Odin just _decided_ you were abandoned? Seriously, what kind of civilization gives up prospective troops in the middle of a war? What if you…weren't?"

"I was a runt! Worthless!"

Tony was silent for a long moment before he pulled away from the god, twisting and grabbing onto Loki's hands to hold them.

"How much do you know about the culture of the Jotunar?"

"Frost Giants are savages," Loki spat the words out bitterly. "They are brutish creatures who thrive on killing and war. They cannot even be bothered to clothe themselves properly, much less build actual structures for their cities rather than living in caves and ice formations."

The genius let out a heavy breath. He would need to choose his words carefully and that had never exactly been his strong suit. It was a very real possibility that everything could blow up in his face in the next few minutes.

"Aright. I hear yah, but, babe, and really think about this before you answer me, please. How much of that is from what you've _seen_ of them and how much of that is from what Odin _told_ you?"

He could see the moment Loki realized what he was saying, the devastation and anger warring within his eyes. His brow creased and Tony was pretty sure a lesser being would have fallen apart under the onslaught of emotions. It made the genius's heart ache to see such a look on Loki's face. He released the hands in his own and rose up on his knees to wrap Loki in his arms. After a moment's hesitation, Loki was hugging him back, his long fingers bunching up the material covering Tony's shoulder blades. Considering everything it'd been though, Tony was probably going to have to throw this suit away.

"Will his betrayal _ever_ end?"

The words were muffled, spoken into Tony's shoulder, but that did nothing to soften how they utterly broke his heart. How could anyone do this to someone they called their _child_? Someone they raised? Howard wasn't exactly going to be winning any awards when it came to fatherhood, but Odin couldn't have fucked things up any more if he'd _tried_. Tony pressed a kiss into Loki's hair, squeezing the god even tighter.

"I don't know…but I think you should go to Jotunheim, at some point, when you're ready."

Loki started to pull back, but Tony held tight and it was only a moment before he settled down again and turned his head so that every breath puffed against Tony's neck. It was extremely distracting.

"I am a wanted criminal there, Anthony. If any of them so much as laid eyes on me, I would be put to death. Surely you have not forgotten our experience retrieving Fenrir so soon."

"No, I remember. You could just disguise yourself, though, use one of those shapeshifting spells or whatever. And I'll go with you. Look, Laufey said that one of his other sons is now king of Jotunheim…I totally forgot his name. But family is a big deal over there. The whole temple thing is apparently just a ritual they perform for a new birth but then everybody in the temple got slaughtered by Odin's forces. This new king, your brother, if we can convince him that you're really Laufey's son then you could find out _so much more_ , about where you came from, who the Jotunar truly are…Frost Giant is a racial slur, by the way, if you know what that is. No one on Jotunheim actually uses it."

There was a long silence. Tony was starting to think it was going to be par for the course with this particular conversation.

"And how," Loki paused to swallow roughly, "do you propose we convince him of my identity?"

Inwardly, Tony cheered. That was definitely a good sign, right? It meant that Loki was at least considering the possibility of going to Jotunheim and learning about the family he had been born to but never got the chance to know.

"No one outside of the royal family was told of what you were to be named. The announcement was supposed to be made once the ritual at the temple was over. Laufey shared it with me, so that should be all the proof we need. Plus, the lines upon your body when you wear your Jotun form should identify you as one of his brood…It's Loptr, by the way, what they planned to name you."

Loki pulled away again, and Tony let him. The god looked dazed, overwhelmed, and he leaned back against the cushions of the sofa as if he could not support his own weight any longer.

"And my-my mother? What became of her?"

"She's alive. Laufey said she grieves for you still."

Loki's eyes squeezed shut is a display of pain Tony couldn't even fathom. It was so raw, so consuming. It felt like he was watching Loki's soul being ripped apart.

"I do not know if I could go there, Anthony. After all I have done…How could I face them? What would I even-"

And of course, that was when the alarm blared signaling a parameter breach. They were on their feet in seconds, heading toward the stairwell. Their conversation would have to wait. The pain and suffering and guilt would have to be bottled up and shoved aside because apparently Tony couldn't catch a _fucking_ break.

"JARVIS! Give me a run down! What's going on, buddy?"

"It appears the SHIELD has infiltrated the tower, Sir. Nick Fury and a contingent of soldiers are attempting to access the stairwell on the lower levels now. The other Avengers and guests have gathered on the communal floor."

Tony scowled as he powered down the stairs. The communal floor was only two down and he kept a suit stashed there for situations just like this. He glanced over his shoulder at Loki, who was right behind him. Neither of them had to wonder what SHIELD was doing there.

"Alright, JARV, why don't you let the new arrivals in? If Nick wants a fight, we'll be more than happy to give him one."


	15. Furious Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury, the Avengers, Loki's brood, and a rather unexpected addition...

"I don't think I need to tell you why I'm here."

Fury glared at the assembled Avengers, plus Loki and children, from where he stood with his team of agents. Each of the black-clad agents had firearms up and aimed, not that they would do much good. Fenrir was audibly growling from where he stood and Hela just looked bored. For his part, Tony glared right back at the Director.

"Actually, I think you do. You see, I don't exactly take kindly to people storming my home with guns and threatening my guests. It's just plain rude."

Fury's eye only narrowed further and Tony could feel the way Clint shuffled a bit closer to the genius's side. Loki took a step forward, holding a hand out toward each of the groups to stave off any hasty actions.

"I understand that you see me as a threat, Director, and I certainly do not blame you for it. I can assure you, though, that I mean no further harm to your world or your people. I wish only to live in peace now that I have been reunited with my children. It was my understanding that this had already been conveyed to you."

A snort came from one of the armed agents and Tony wished he had his suit on just so he could repulsor the asshole. Clint was so close behind him that Tony could actually feel the way the archer stiffened.

"He was. Nat and I gave the Director your terms right after you showed up. It didn't seem to be a problem then."

"I also said I'd be keeping an eye on things to make sure the God of Lies over there kept up with his end of the bargain."

Jormungandr looked like he was trying to figure out how to kill Fury without getting in trouble with his dad. Tony couldn't say he really blamed him. Steve crossed him arms and sent a disapproving look at the Director and his agents.

"Which he has." He was using his full Captain America voice. "Loki had done nothing to warrant this kind of attack. I understand that you're only trying to help, Director, but you're out of line."

"Oh, really? He's done absolutely nothing to deserve it? That hasn't been my impression from Agent Romanov's reports."

Tony whipped around to glare at Natasha, and he wasn't the only one. The lady assassin held up her hands and shook her head, sending a glare of her own at Fury.

"I kept you apprised of events, as you requested. I never said anything about Loki being a danger or breaking his word."

"Then perhaps someone would care to explain to me why Stark has nearly died, been injured enough to require several _days'_ worth of bedrest, gone missing, and _actually_ died since this asshole showed up again!"

Fury looked angry, angrier than Tony had ever seen him, but it didn't even register. The genius was too busy thinking back over everything that'd happened and how it might look to an outsider who didn't really know what was going on. Tony _had_ spent some time laid up in bed after they'd retrieved Sleipnir from Asgard and that whole mess where he'd killed himself certainly wouldn't come off well to anyone. Hell, even Clint had thought Loki had put him up to it until Tony had set that misconception straight.

"Well, I must confess it is not a simple tale," heads whipped around as Frigga emerged from a side hallway and into the room, "but I do believe I find myself up to the task if you are willing to listen."

"Mother!" Thor bound across the room to sweep her into his arms, looking like he couldn't decide whether to do an impression of a Golden Retriever or stay mindful of the danger they currently faced. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled softly and patted him gently on the cheek before stepping around him and moving toward Loki, taking the younger god's hands between her own.

"Something I should have done centuries ago, helping my son."

Loki didn't show any obvious signs that the words had affected him, but Tony could see the way his shoulders bunched up in response to his mother's words. Tony kind of wanted to give him a hug. Fury, however, seemed much less happy with the turn of events.

"Great, so now the family reunion gets even bigger. Happy, happy, joy, joy. You said you have an explanation for all this?"

Frigga turned back to the director, all of her warm fondness draining away and leaving behind only a cold, regal demeanor. She held her chin high and glared at the man.

"Most certainly, Director Fury, and I shall be happy to give it once your men have set aside those trinkets you deign to hold against my sons and their companions. I'm sure you can understand that, as Queen of Asgard, I do not take well to those who threaten my own."

Fury didn't flinch away from her words, but signaled for his men to lower their arms after a long moment. Frigga smiled at him with all the friendliness of a knife pressed against someone's throat. Tony could definitely see where Loki had been raised by this woman.

"How lovely. Now, let's get to business, shall we? I have recently had some rather heart-felt discussions with my husband. He isn't always the best listener, you see, and it has taken me some time to bring him around to my way of thinking. However, the true reason for my visit today was to inform Loki that Asgard has exonerated him of his crimes against the Nine Realms as well as revoked the punishment of his children's banishment. He need fear no threat of them being taken from him once more."

Loki looked like he'd been sucker punched, eyes wide and face disbelieving. He seemed almost afraid of the words coming from his mother's mouth. Tony had to admit he was a bit surprised himself, and suspicious. Definitely suspicious.

"Just like that?" the genius questioned. "Doesn't really seem the All-Daddy's style, from what I've heard of him. He sounds like the kind of guy to hold a grudge, not that I'm one to talk in that particular department."

Frigga smiled at him warmly.

"Oh, most certainly. My husband has never been known for his forgiving nature, mostly because he does not have one. He is much like his sons in that regard, as he is in several others. His stubbornness, his dedication to what he believes to be right, his penchant for only listening to reason when it is presented to him in a certain light; all things he passed along to his children. There is an old saying from Vanaheim, the realm where I was born, that goes, 'They mess you up, you're mom and dad. They do not mean to, but they do. They give you all the faults they had, and add some extra just for you.' That is the closest translation to your tongue, at least. It's very true, don't you think?"

"Mother," Loki's tone was a bit strangled, but his facial expression was back under control, betraying nothing. "Perhaps you should explain exactly how this came to pass? I must admit I am…struggling with this revelation."

"You're not the only one," Fury growled. "We agreed to let Asgard handle Loki after the Chitauri invasion and he wound up back on our planet in a matter of months. Now you're telling me he's been God damned exonerated?"

The queen didn't seem at all affected by Fury's brusque tone or Loki's carefully controlled demeanor. Instead she smiled at them serenely and all but glided over to take a seat in the lounge area of the floor that had gone ignored up until that point, prompting the rest of the room's occupants to follow her like a trail of ducklings.

"Come, sit with me. This explanation may take some time and it would be best for all of us to be comfortable, wouldn't it?"

Fury gestured for his men to take up positions around the perimeter as he took a seat in the only other single-person chair available. Loki settled into the corner of the couch closest to his mother with Thor on one side and Tony perched on the couch's arm rest. Bruce took the other end of the couch and the others spread out in various positions behind it. Tony could feel the warmth of Sleipnir standing rather close to him and reached out to give the stallion an absentminded pat. Frigga smiled.

"There, now. Isn't that better? Let's see…where to begin. Most of you are aware by this point that I am what you would refer to as clairvoyant. The Norns choose to bless me with visions of what is to come and I do my best to interpret these visions and use that information for the good of the Nine Realms. The future is not as set in stone as many believe, you must understand. It is the responsibility of those blessed by the Norns to attempt to guide the Realms along the path that is our reality."

"Right." Tony wasn't sure if Fury thought she was out of her mind and didn't want to argue or was just accepting that this was far from the weirdest thing he had to deal with on a weekly basis. "What precisely does being able to see the future have to do with Odin forgiving Loki for things that happened in the past?"

Frigga smiled at him indulgently, like one might a small child who didn't understand why they had to wear pants in order to go to the supermarket.

"Not all stories begin only once you become involved, Director. For you to truly understand, we must start at the beginning."

It was entirely possible that Fury was strongly considering the pros and cons of murdering her. Luckily, he seemed to decide he wouldn't survive the experience.

"And where exactly is the start of this little tale of yours?" he asked testily instead.

"About three thousand years ago, shortly after my marriage to the All-Father. It was before either Thor or Loki were born, of course. I received a vision from the Norns that depicted the end of all the realms, an event known as Ragnarok." Loki hissed in a sharp breath, making Tony's gaze dart to him. His face was pinched, but he said nothing. "It was to be Loki who brought it upon us, though whether or not it was intentional was unclear. His children, too, were to play a role in the end of us all."

"This is supposed to explain how he got exonerated?"

Tony shot Natasha a glare at her words.

"It is the beginning," Frigga allowed. "As I said before, the future is not something that remains fixed in stone. It is fluid and ever changing as we make different choices in our lives. Of course, sometimes the choices we make to prevent a certain future are exactly the choices that bring it about. Such was the case with this vision. Odin took away your children so they would be unable to help you, yet it served only to foster resentment toward Asgard and the other realms in each of you. As I said before, I did not agree with his decision at the time."

Tony's mind was running through possibilities, trying to figure out where all of this could be going.

"So, what? Something's changed now? To make Loki less likely to start Ragnarok?"

Frigga's smile was secretive and mysterious, just like Loki's when he was toying with someone but not meaning to kill them.

"There is something here on Midgard called the Linchpin Theory, is there not? The idea that something small can cause a chain reaction to bring about something much larger?"

"Yeah. Like the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife leading to the First World War," Bruce contributed. "It wasn't directly linked to the war but it set off the chain of events that made it happen."

Frigga seemed pleased by his input.

"Precisely. Except, in this case, your Archduke is the Man of Iron."

The silence was deafening.

" _What?_ "

Frigga didn't seem ruffled by her announcement in the slightest.

"It wasn't until after Odin brought you home that I saw it. I had the vision the very first time I held you in my arms." Her eyes and voice were soft, wistful. "You were so perfect, Loki. I loved you from the very first moment I saw you. You may not be my son by birth, but you have always been my child. There was nothing I would not have done to protect you at the time. I only wish I had been able to hold on to that clarity as the years passed. That was my failure, but you were the one who suffered for it."

Loki ducked his head, hiding his expression from everyone in the room and Tony leaned over to press his side against the god's shoulder. Hela spoke from behind them, thankfully drawing away the room's attention.

"It was only after Odin had banished us and I had taken up the mantel of ruling over Helheim that my grandmother came to me and told me to keep an eye out for someone who would enter my realm but that I would have to give back. I told you all before that I had been waiting for Tony. Even if she hadn't spoken to me, though, I would have known the instant he arrived." She gazed down at the inventor with warm eyes. "His soul was not something to be captured. There was too much life left in him. His full purpose, though, I did not realize until he had passed the trials."

"Hold on a second." Clint was making a face similar to the one Tony had made the time Bruce had switched his coffee out for herbal tea without the genius noticing until he took a sip. "I know I'm not exactly an expert, but I thought this whole Ragnarok thing was kind of a…fixed point or something. Like the Rapture for Christians. Nobody really knows _when_ it's going to happen, they just know it will."

"You are not wrong," came Fenrir's deep rumble and Tony twisted around so he could look at the guy, nearly falling into Loki's lap in the process and forcing to god to steady him with an arm around his waist and a hand on his hip. "I cannot say I am familiar with this 'Rapture' of yours, but Ragnarok has been a thing foretold since the rule of Buri, my grandfather's grandfather. It wasn't until Grandmother started receiving visions of it that it became more than an abstract inevitability, though."

Bruce frowned.

"I can see why people panicked. Think of everything that happened back in 2012 when the Mayan calendar was coming to an end and so many people became convinced the world was going to end. Only in this case the source of the information is far more credible, I would think."

"Indeed, Dr. Banner. It appears you have the most excellent references for this conversation. In hindsight, we should have kept the information more under wrap. I'm afraid I was quite distraught after the first vision, though, and spilled everything to my lady in waiting who was not as discreet as she should have been. It wasn't even a decade before all of the Nine Realms knew of it."

Clint grumbled something about gods and using a decade as a measure of a short period of time.

"Alright, so, okay. I'm the linchpin in your crazy scheme to stop Ragnarok, or the Norns' crazy scheme, or something. How exactly does that work? Cause the initial comparison was to an assassination and I've already died once today and would rather not do it again. And I'm not killing Loki, either."

His glare was steely, but Frigga only laughed in response. It still sounded like wind chimes.

"Oh, how terrible you must think us if that is your first assumption! No, dear, no one shall be killing anyone. I rather think that would have the opposite effect, considering the nature of your relationship with my youngest son. I have a feeling that your death would only speed Ragnarok's coming."

Tony sputtered, turning red.

"How do you even-It only just happened!"

More wind chime laughter.

"Blessed by the Norns, remember? I have been waiting for the news of your joining since Thor first came home with tales of his Midgardian shield brothers. It was quite a relief to see that you had already entered into a relationship by the time you came for Sleipnir. I had been afraid it would take much longer."

Loki's eyes were wide as he stared at his mother is shocked disbelief.

"We were in no such relationship. It was mere minutes ago we acknowledged the place we had earned in each other's lives. I trusted Anthony before then, certainly, and valued his life as an ally, but we were no more than that the last time you saw us."

" _What?_ " Clint burst out. "What is this 'mere minutes ago' bullshit? You two have been going at it since that fucking date! You came back and had sex!"

Tony blinked in confusion for a moment before he burst out laughing.

"Oh, my God! I totally forgot about that, considering everything else that's happened! We were messing with you, man! I dropped Loki back off at his apartment after dinner. The most action I got was a peck on the cheek!"

He tried to stifle his giggles, but found the act exceedingly difficult. Loki used the arm already around his waist to pull the genius off the armrest and into his lap. The entire room was staring at them like they were some exotic animals at the zoo.

"But what about all the bantering you two have been doing? And the touching?"

Tony snorted and exchanged a glance with the just as amused Loki.

"Seriously, Cap? You, too? That was just banter between friends. Same as I do with the rest of the team, only the rest of you can't keep up with me."

Bruce actually looked a bit pained.

"Tony…I think you and I need to have another chat about what's appropriate behavior between friends."

The genius sent him a look that was utterly scandalized.

"Brucie! You can't mean-"

"Yes," Natasha cut in. "We all thought it."

"Aye. Even I thought you and my father were in a relationship. I had not seen him so attached to one individual in centuries. I was under the impression the two of you had been involved for quite some time."

Loki shifted a bit at Fenrir's words.

"I suppose we have been more blind than we thought, if each of you could see it before we even thought to so much as look."

Natasha snorted.

"Yeah, well, none of us really expect better from Tony at this point. We should have known he'd stick his head in the sand at the first so much as vague sign of an emotional connection."

Thor barked in laughter.

"It is true! And I can vouch to say my brother is not much better!"

Tony pouted and leaned further against Loki.

"Fine, fine. So Loki and I were the last ones to figure out we're in a relationship. Go on, laugh it up."

The god pressed a kiss to Tony's cheek before turning back to his mother and sobering.

"It seems we have gotten off topic again. I, however, am quite interested in still hearing about how Anthony is to prevent the start of Ragnarok. Being the bringer of such a thing is a fate I would be most eager to escape."

Frigga smiled at them.

"Of course. I shall continue, then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, guys! Looks like this fic is wrapping up. There are only a few more chapters left...Don't worry though! I'll be launching directly into the little extra about Tony's death as a child and then that'll be followed up by the sequel. Don't forget to subscribe to this series so you can get all the fun updates!


	16. Settling Terms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The resolution, of sorts.

"As I said before, the future is not set in stone," Frigga continued. "It's a fluid thing. The key to getting the outcome you want is to know what points you must hit to get there. I knew there was a chance of our dear Dr. Stark dying at an early age, a very high chance, which is why I reached out to Hela."

Barton made a noise of discontent and rubbed his hands over his face. Tony twisted around a bit in Loki's lap to stare up at him in concern. The birdbrain stood between Fenrir and Natasha behind the couch.

"I hate this Nordic god, shit. How is it that you're dating a guy whose daughter was the Queen of Hell before you were even born?"

"Hell _heim_ , not Hell," the antlered woman corrected. "Hell is something your people came up with right along with your silly notion of the one, true God."

"Shh!" Tony fluttered his hands at her, a grin slipping onto his face. "Don't tell Cap! We'll have to start hiding Thor in the closet!"

"Tony," Steve chastised, but he was smiling.

"We're getting off topic, dear heart." Loki's tone was gentle as his fingers stroked up and down along Tony's spine. "I must insist we don't."

"Fine, fine." Tony chuckled. "Back to how I save the universe."

Frigga's laughter joined the genius's.

"I should have known my son would find a match no less ambitious than himself." She smiled softly at them. "And, to keep things rather simple, you save the universe simply by being yourself and having the courage to do what no one else would."

"I don't understand." Tony shuffled his way out of Loki's lap and back onto the armrest. It wasn't that he was at all opposed to the position, it was just that this didn't seem like the kind of conversation he should be having from someone's lap. "I mean, I'll be the first person to say that I'm generally amazing, but…"

"You stood by my son when he was your enemy. He invaded your world, hurt your friends, even killed those you were sworn to protect." Loki shifted uncomfortably at his mother's words and Tony reached out for his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Despite all that, the moment you learned of his plight, you offered to help him. Even before then, you acted as a supporter and a companion. Who else here could claim to have stood by Loki in the same way?"

"What about Thor? He would have bent over backwards to welcome Loki back if given half the chance."

Tony wasn't sure why he was so quick to try and deny helping Loki. Those had certainly been his thoughts at the time. It was just that it seemed so…blown out of proportion. Surely it wasn't any more than anyone else would do. Despite the good he had done for the world and how hard he tried to make up for the life he'd lived before Afghanistan, he wasn't exactly selfless. Anyone in the world could vouch for that.

"Thor cares, there's no denying that, but he and Loki…They've never quite understood each other."

She cast a glance between her two sons, perhaps remembering their many, many younger years. Tony could only imagine what those years must have been like. He was about to open his mouth to argue again when Loki pulled him close, though not into his lap once more. The god rose up just a bit to press his nose to the underside of Tony's jaw.

"Hush. I have heard enough of your denials when we both know the truth." He pressed light kisses along the line where Tony's neck met his chin. "You should know I have little use for modesty."

Clint shoved them both, nearly sending Tony tumbling off the couch.

"Hey, let's keep it PG, will yah?"

"Yeah, yeah." Tony rolled his eyes. "Lord forbid we offend your delicate sensibilities, bird brain."

He was almost getting to the point of being in a damn good mood when Fury cleared his throat to remind them on his presence.

"So what you're saying," he directed at Frigga, "is that Loki's now free to do whatever he damn well pleases because he met his soulmate or some shit?"

Frigga let out a small little huff of air that Tony highly suspected would have been a snort coming from anyone else. She, of course, was far to poised for such things though. The queen leveled Fury with a bland look.

"It's clear that you find our particular brand of justice lacking, director. Tell me, what would your solution be to this particular quandary we find ourselves in?"

Fury, the uncultured swine that he was, actually did snort.

"If you people weren't standing in my way? I'd put a bullet in his head."

Frigga's smile was indulgent in perhaps the most condescending way possible.

"And I assume, of course, that you mean that to say you would attempt to kill him, as you are no doubt already aware that a bullet from your realm would have little effect in that regard. Tell me, do you actually possess the technology to kill my son?"

"I'm sure we'd manage to think of something."

"I'll take that as a 'no' then, at least in the regard of having anything you could _justify_ using. I'm sure your nuclear weapons would get the job done but I doubt the people of your world would look kindly upon their use. You certainly wouldn't be gaining help from anyone _outside_ of your realm as they will have aligned themselves with Asgard and those that hadn't wouldn't be keen on doing anything to further a cause of yours. To compound this issue, the two men most qualified of your realm to come up with an acceptable and effective method, the doctors Bruce Banner and Anthony Stark, would at this point be none too keen on doing so. This leaves you in rather a tight spot, don't you think?"

She didn't pause long enough for Fury to respond.

"The only options left open to you would then be imprisonment or repeated attempts to kill Loki which could only be described as torture. Considering for the sake of argument that Asgard did not rise to his defense, as I would ensure they did if such a situation arose, you would still be faced with the wrath of my son's children as well as his newly-acquired friends. I highly doubt you and your little organization would last very long facing either one of those threats, much less the two of them combined into one force. The inevitable outcome would be your own destruction as well as my son's release, now with more reason to hate and wish for the destruction of your world than ever. Still think your plan is so clever?"

Fury grimaced.

"You paint a vivid picture. That doesn't mean I buy into the logic that letting a known psychopath roam free is the answer."

"We of Asgard thought the same way as you for many centuries, director, so do not feel bad. You are young and still have much to learn." Tony had to bite his tongue to keep from making a comment he would very much regret later on. "We punished Loki many times for his various transgressions, often with increasing brutality that did not always fit what he had done to earn it. It is like when my husband banished Loki's children. He meant to prevent a great disaster from happening and yet gave them all motivation to hate and wish for the destruction of Asgard. It is only through Anthony's actions of selflessness and trust that that damage has been repaired."

"And now you're bartering the future of the entire universe on a trust of good faith."

"Not so much. It is only through the past that we may learn what is to come in the future, director. The methods we have used, not only with Loki but with the Jotunar and other whole cultures, have bred nothing but resentment, war, and death. We have hundreds of thousands of years of history available to us to study and, although Asgard is in many ways stagnant, it is in this way that we must evolve now. Your culture, too, shall reach this point someday and I should think it will take you less time than it did us."

"It sounds like damn hippy logic to me," Fury denounced, "but I know when I've been backed into a corner. We'll do things your way for now, but if that boy of yours steps one toe out of line it's gonna be over my head and Hell is gonna rain down on his."

Loki's fingers stroked along Tony's side.

"I had thought I'd already made myself clear, director, but perhaps it bears repeating. So long as no threats are made to me or mine during our stay here on Midgard, you and your people will have nothing to fear from us and I shall do my part to ensure the continued safety of your realm."

"Right," Fury said as he stood and made a motion for his men to get a move on, "I'll believe it when I see it. I'll be watching."

With those as his parting words, the director swept out of the room like a dark phantom, taking his troupe of minions right along with him. Tony groaned out a sigh and collapsed sideways across Loki's lap.

"Well that was stressful enough to last me a lifetime."

Frigga hummed in agreement.

"He is not a very cheery man, your director."

"Oh, trust me," Clint drawled as he lent over the back of the couch, "that was him being downright agreeable. I'd say you caught him on a good day."

A motherly tut and a look of concern were thrown Thor's way.

"Are you sure you wish to place yourself in the service of this man, dear? I hate to make a judgement too hastily but I must say he seems rather dreadful from the interactions we have had."

Thor positively boomed with laughter.

"Not to worry, mother! We do not have as much interaction with him as you might think."

"What about me?" Loki cut in, putting on a faux hurt expression. "Are you not worried for me as well now that I have placed myself into the service of this 'dreadful' man too?"

"Oh, please." Frigga fluttered a hand in Loki's direction. "You and I both know you'll be able to give him far more Hell than he'll ever give you."

"Actually, that brings up something I've been thinking about for a little while."

The room at large swiveled around to look at Steve, who was shifting back and forth nervously and had a bit of a red hue to his cheeks.

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret asking this," Bruce sighed, "but what is it?"

"How would you all feel about us, the Avengers, becoming a separate entity from SHIELD? I've been considering it for a while, but it seems like the time for that transition may be coming up faster than I had anticipated. I'm tired of us only having the information they want us to have. I don't like playing games and having to ferret out every detail like I'm mining for gold. Enough of these missions where everyone is given a different objective. We need to be united as a team and I think that SHIELD has come to stand in the way of that."

Silence reigned for a long moment as they considered it. Frigga stood gracefully and drew her grandchildren from the room to give them some privacy.

"I left the KGB to work for SHIELD," Natasha finally said. "I wanted to get on the right side of the fight. The last thing I want is to be switching my loyalties back and forth but as long as I can maintain my employment at SHIELD and there isn't a conflict of interest, I think this could work."

Steve smiled at her.

"I think Fury's a good man. He wants what's best, but I just don't think that his opinion as to what's best is always accurate. Besides, SHIELD works for the WSC and they're the ones who sent a nuke flying at New York City."

"Mmm, yeah. Not the best move ever," Tony agreed. "I'm in. I can totally expand JARVIS's programming so he can bring our missions directly to us." He winked at the Captain. "All information included."

"And where Anthony goes, I shall go as well," Loki purred.

Thor beamed.

"Then I shall have to give my agreement as well! I have no quarrel with SHIELD, but I also have no particular fondness for them. It is to the team that I have committed myself."

"Eh," Clint drawled as he moved around the couch to flop down in the armchair Fury had vacated. "I'd like to maintain dual employment, too. I'm with Tasha on this one."

"I don't think that should be a problem. You and Natasha can take SHIELD missions between Avengers level threats. You've been with them the longest so I completely understand that you would be torn in this decision. It's part of the reason I put off having this conversation for so long."

"Well if everyone else is in, then I guess I'm in, too."

Tony beamed at his Science Bro.

"That's the spirit, Brucie! Peer pressure for the win!"

He gave a double thumbs up and got only an eye roll in return. Steve ignored the genius's antics to focus on the god still plastered to his side.

"I know your agreement was that you would help Tony if any magical threats arose," Loki stiffened instantly and Tony leaned even closer as a show of support, "but I think that discussion took place before any of us really got to know you. A lot has changed since then." Steve gave his good, classic, all-American smile. "I'm not asking you to do anything you might be uncomfortable with and I'm not saying you have to by any means, but if you would like, I think there could be a place here for you. Not just with Tony, but with this team."

Loki's brows arched upwards, the only indication that he was surprised.

"You would trust me so easily?"

"I think your mom is right. We could all use a little more trust. All this animosity and violence that has gone around, it just leads to more resentment. I'm not saying we should start giving out hugs to every would-be invader, but I think we should pay a bit more attention before be jump to conclusions. What paying attention has shown me is that you're really not the kind of guy to fly into a homicidal rage just for the sake of it. There's a lot we still have to overcome, but we're making a solid start."

"This…is not a turn of events I would have expected."

Tony grinned and wrapped his arms around the god's neck, snuggling in close and nearly losing his balance. Apparently the arms of couches just really weren't his thing.

"You're telling me. If you'd told me a month ago that I'd not only be helping you accomplish any goal of yours, much less getting into a relationship with you, I'd have had you committed!" He pressed a kiss to Loki's mouth. "Best revenge ever."

Loki chuckled.

"Yes, that's something we still need to discuss…" He glanced up at the gathered Avengers. "If you will excuse us?"

"Go," Bruce waved them off, "I don't think a single one of us wants to be a witness to the two of you figuring out whatever weird dynamics you're going to end up with."

Tony gasped in mock offence but wasn't able to actually make any noise other than an undignified squeak as Loki swept the genius up into his arms and stood.

"Do not expect our presence again in any short order."

Thor stood as well, laughing and slapping Loki on the back so hard Tony could feel the reverberations from the strike on the other side.

"I shall see to our mother. Shall I request she remain a while longer?"

Loki seemed to consider it for a long moment before shaking his head.

"She will be needed back on Asgard, I am sure. It is not as though the kingdom could run without her."

The brothers shared a wry smile before Loki turned away and carted Tony off. They retreated to Tony's own quarters, where JARVIS deposited them without being asked. It was only once they were there that Loki allowed Tony to retake his feet.

"So, we have much to discuss. I should warn you up front, I am not very good at sharing and I shall guard what I consider mine with ruthless tenacity."

Tony's lips quirked into a smirk.

"And I should warn you that I find that way hotter than I really should. Also, not so great at sharing myself."

"Then we are agreed that this shall be an exclusive arrangement."

"Mmm, yeah. Absolutely." Tony raked his eyes over Loki's frame, causing the other to preen with the attention. "Besides, I've got enough idea to keep us busy for quite a long time."

Loki all but purred as he leaned in closer.

"And I am very eager to hear of them. I shall endeavor to make sure we have plenty of time to explore each and every one." He nibbled along the shell of Tony's ear, making the genius tremble at the little sparks of magic that went along with the contact. " _Plenty_ of time."

Tony's hands scrambled for purchase against the fabric that clothed Loki's biceps. His body pressed forward even without his express command.

"Loki…"

It came out as a whine, breathless and pleading, and Tony could feel the way the other smirked against his skin as those skilled lips moved down to his neck.

"Patience, dear one," Loki murmured. "We have all the time in the world." He hummed in a manner that was distinctly self-satisfied. "And what time you don't yet have, I shall find a way to provide for you."

Well, if that didn't tell Tony exactly where he stood, he wasn't sure what would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, guys! This is it! The last chapter! I hope you all have enjoyed this journey with me and I look forward to seeing you all in both the prequel and the sequel for this fic! Keep an eye out! Don't forget to subscribe to this series so you'll get the updates!


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